Education for Democratic Citizenship and Well-Being (EDC-WB)

General Overview

EDC-WB aims to create a practical democratic educational programme for Ukrainian educators and community leaders, to empower Ukrainian citizens to exercise their democratic rights and engage actively in democratic life.

Purpose and Significance

Ukraine is progressing towards democratic governance and European Union membership. The processes of democratisation and European integration require not only the consolidation of democratic institutions but also the socialisation of democratic values within society. A significant challenge for Ukrainian democracy is the limited societal understanding of democracy and citizenship, coupled with a lack of experience with a functioning democratic system. In democracy indexes such as V-Dem, Freedom House, and Nations in Transit, Ukraine is often classified as a transitional or hybrid regime with substantial challenges to overcome. These classifications reflect ongoing deficiencies in the implementation and understanding of democratic principles. Despite making strides, Ukraine still faces a long journey towards developing a stable and deeply rooted democracy that is solidified not only institutionally but also within its society.

The Education for Democratic Citizenship and Well-Being (EDC-WB) project addresses these challenges by creating a democratic educational programme for various Ukrainian stakeholders, supported by the Ministry of Education and Science in Ukraine. Additionally, the creation of a technical platform to host such programmes is planned. Under the coordination of Linnaeus University, Sweden, three other EUniWell universities are involved: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine, the University of Murcia, Spain, and Nantes Université, France.