2019 is the year of democratic participation at eTwinning. Thanks to its ever-expanding network, the community intends to enhance dialogue between school institutes parents and local communities on a theme of great importance for European citizens. Participatory democracy is, in fact, integral part of the European model of society and the Lisbon treaty confers to the citizens the “right to participate in the democratic life of the European Union”.

The idea underlying the eTwinning community is promoting the online platform as a useful means to develop in the new generation a series of competences linked to democratic culture: autonomous learning, analytical and critical thinking, listening and observation abilities, empathy, flexibility and adaptability, linguistic competences, cooperation and conflicts resolution are among eTwinning’s aims to enhance active citizenship and demonstrate that teachers can contribute in a crucial way to the creation of sustainable democracies through projects that develop inclusion and freedom of speech and that promote democratic dialogue based on openness, responsibility, efficacy and coherence. These aims acquire even more importance in view of next May’s European elections.

Resources for teachers: eTwinning kit

• Have your say on education
• Too young to vote, old enough to make a change