USAID RADA: Next Generation Program organized a visit of the Ukrainian delegation to the Austrian Parliament, during which the parties agreed to establish a Democracy Workshop in the Verkhovna Rada.
The Democracy Workshop is a successful model of civic parliamentary education developed in 2007 by the Austrian Parliament. The program offers workshops for young people on the basics of democracy, parliamentary and EU activities, media, and civic participation. It develops students' civic competencies, broadens their knowledge of the work of parliament, and engages them in democratic processes from an early age.
This experience of the Austrian parliament is being adopted by other countries. The parliaments of Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania have created Democracy Workshops based on this model, and cooperation with the parliaments of Albania, North Macedonia, and Slovakia is underway.
A letter of intent to establish the Democracy Workshop in the Verkhovna Rada was signed by the speakers of both parliaments and chiefs of staff. It also states that the RADA: Next Generation Program will assist in the implementation of this initiative as a partner.
"We understand the importance of adhering to democratic principles, so the VRU is interested in developing parliamentary education. The Democracy Workshop will become a new format of the VRU Educational Center," said Viacheslav Shtuchnyi, Chief of Staff of the Verkhovna Rada.
Members of the Ukrainian delegation also took part in a forum dedicated to the Democracy Workshop, during which they discussed success stories, challenges, and prospects for this model of education.
This is the second visit that RADA: Next Generation Program has organized for representatives of the Verkhovna Rada to learn the Democracy Workshop training formats. The program has been consistently helping the Verkhovna Rada to develop international partnerships and adopt the best international practices in parliamentary education.
Photo © Parlamentsdirektion/Johannes Zinner