EDUCATION

"Potestas a populo"- Education for Democracy

The findings of the several researches among the young population of Serbia show evident disinterest and ignorance of the young of politics and functioning of the state. One of the crucial factors that contributed to such disposition of the young is the very politics that was executed for the last 15 years. It is evident that the disinterest of the young in taking an active part in the social life not only through participating in the decision-taking or election of authorities but also through participation in non-governmental organizations or other citizens' associations.

For that very reason, the aim of this project is to put some emphasis on young people, for in the future they will represent the power that will bring about progressive changes in our society.

The policies that were executed in the last years made young people withdraw from social life or think of possible leaving the country. A series of unsuccessful attempts to throw the ruling regime from power led to a specific state of spirit with the young, and the same statement might be applicable to other social strata.

After each of these attempts, young peole felt let down, the media was silenced, and the old regime was still there. All conceivable ideals of the modern world were betrayed. The picture that politics was something filthy was formed, that politicians care only for their personal interests and that every opposition to that would end in failure was created.

Although electoral changes and coming into power of those reform forces has given some hope to young people, unfortunately that picture continues to exist as a relict of the past, and with that very picture we want to cope.

The previous tradition of executing the state politics brought about a great dissociation of citizens from the social course. The ruling political system did everything to distance the citizen from the state. On the other hand, the ignorance of citizens when it comes to functioning of the state institutions created citizens' repellence towards the state. Such a relation between the state and citizens is the least surprising in authoritarian states, and it leads to common disinterest of an individual in achieving his basic, human rights.

The first step towards overcoming that problem is observing and understanding the society and its institutions. The aim of our project is exactly to broaden the knowledge of young people and in that way to encourage their critical reasoning and perception of the society.

Acquiring a certain level of knowledge on all these “complicated” institutions and expressions that surround us will ensure a better insight into their rights and possibilities for their protection. The purpose of learning and familiarizing with the state, rights and politics is nothing else but protection of one's own self, one's family and wider community that one belongs to.

The pilot project “Potestas a populo - the authorities from close up” was carried out in 2002 in the following municipalities: Vracar, Sombor, Pancevo, Pirot, and Kraljevo. In view of good cooperation with representatives of the local self-government and with headmasters of schools and in view of the interest expressed by high school pupils, three years later, on March 1 st 2005, the same project under a little changed name “Potestas a populo – Education for Democracy” saw its continuation in the municipalities: Sombor, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Pancevo, Belgrade, Smederevo, Jagodina, Loznica, Cacak, Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Zajecar, Novi Pazar, Nis, Pirot and Vranje.

Looking up to the program that is being conducted in several developed western countries with long democratic tradition, CeSID has made a step in order to bring the way of functioning of the state close to the young. The process of acquainting followed from the local to the top levels of the authority in the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro . In the period from March to June, in three-month cycles, 1500 participants were educated in 16 high schools in Serbia . In the first phase the pupils were acquainted with the way of electing the local authority bodies, the authority of municipal bodies, the relation between centralization and decentralization of the authority. An important element of the project was visiting town halls, meeting officials of municipal bodies and municipal administration, and Assembly Hall was the venue where the lectures were given.

The pupils who showed their knowledge best and greatest interest, 90 of them, were invited to come to the capital city, Belgrade , and participate in the second phase of the program of acquainting – bringing authorities closer. The second phase included the visit to the institutions: The Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro , National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia and the Presidency Hall.

During the visitation of these institutions their importance, history, activities and the ways of their functioning were presented.

The Norwegian People's Aid Organization supported the realization of the project “Potestas a populo – Education for Democracy”.