EC - DEMOCRACY - Respect event

4 students in the Erasmus+ class (2nd year) work on a value : “Democracy”. They have to prepare a 3-part event about “RESPECT” based on the work of 3 groups, the other two being organised by two other groups about “diversity” and “equality”. They have to think about this value by following 5 guidelines : respecting a time limit (45 minutes), answering a problem in the form of a slideshow that they write in French but present in English, illustrating their thinking by creating posters on concrete examples, interceding with the public (3 high school classes and 3 teachers), inviting an outsider to testify about his experience related to the topic. The 4 students announce their event by making a poster. They organize this event as follows :

First they present a slideshow from a Nelson Mandela quotation to answer this question : “We must live in a world of democracy and respect for human rights”, how at present does our democracy respect the rights of everyone? At first they recall the origins of democracy, from Athens to today, question the place of democracy in kingdoms and empires. Then they explain the democratic ideals developed in the Age of Enlightenment. In a second time they compare the conception and the exercise of democracy in the member states of the European Union and focus more particularly on the example of the 5th republic in France. Finally they address more precisely the issue of democracy in two contexts : the cities (the municipal council) and the schools (the council of college life, the council of high school life and the academic council of high school life). Their conference is based on concrete case studies presented through posters (Napoleon 1st, Olympe de Gouges, the European elections, the high school life council) or videos (commitment to high school : high school life council and high school life academic council). During the conference, the mayor of a nearby city of Dunkirk intervenes in the form of questions / answers with the 4 students to clarify and deepen some notions, and at the end he speaks to explain in which circumstances democracy is exercised in his city.

4 classes go to the auditorium of the “Hall aux sucres”, the learning center in Dunkirk. The 4 students carry out the different activities they have prepared. The audience is very attentive when the 4 students present their slideshow, posters and videos. They seem impressed with the mayor, too shy to talk to him. But the 4 classes come out happy to have attended this conference saying that it was interesting that they learned a lot. Many added that they particularly appreciated hearing a presentation on the European elections that will take place in a few months.