NASUWT supports Civic Voices Project
The Civic Voices International Democracy Memory Bank Project is a civic education exchange program that involves teachers and students from around the world in preserving the legacy of their countries’ democratic struggles.
The scheme, intended to bring together young people from countries with a history of conflict to learn the lessons of the past and work towards a more harmonious future, is being promoted by the NASUWT in Northern Ireland.
A delegation from NASUWT Northern Ireland visited the USA to learn more about the inspirational ethos of the project. NASUWT member Simon Lemon, a Civic Voices Fellow, describes his experience and explains how schools in Northern Ireland can get involved.
“In today’s society we often take an apathetic view towards democracy, taking it for granted, or even seeing it as a job for others. Teaching citizenship, history and RE for eight years, I have become increasingly alarmed at pupils’ lack of knowledge of ‘the troubles’. They look back in amazement when I describe how my childhood was shaped by the conflict; checkpoints, bomb scares and searches on entering shops were all part of normal life.
"Some will say that the fact that our young people do not identify with such tragic events shows how far we have come. I would beg to differ. I believe a society that does not recognise the difficulties, wrongs and victims of its past is destined to repeat its failures. It allows prejudice to linger and means that the acceptance of a shared future remains a dream."
The Civic Voices programme, co-ordinated by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), aims to ‘harness the stories of the past to inspire the citizens of the future’, making it an excellent project to address these concerns. The International Democracy Memory Bank project brings together eight countries emerging from conflict or having democracy denied: the USA, Colombia, Georgia, Mongolia, Northern Ireland, the Philippines, Poland and South Africa. Pupils in each partner country record interviews with local community activists who have participated in human rights activity, transcribing their interviews and uploading them to the Civic Voices website (www.civicvoices.org).
Interviews
Participating teachers prepare their students to conduct interviews with change-makers in their communities who have helped advance human rights and freedoms. Students then transcribe these interviews and analyse them to explore how civic ideals are realized through grass-roots efforts.
Finally, the narratives are archived for use by educators, scholars and researchers in a Democracy Memory Bank on the Civic Voices website. The site also features a comprehensive teacher’s guide and other free teaching materials that use interviews to explore key concepts of democratic governance.
The American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation is proud to coordinate this project with teachers’ unions in seven countries. The Democracy Memory Bank contains stories from dozens of countries, but targets these important struggles from our partner countries:
- Solidarity Movement in Poland
- The Peace Process in Northern Ireland
- People Power Revolution in the Philippines
- Anti-Apartheid Struggle in South Africa
- Democratic Transition in Mongolia
- Struggle for Rule of Law in Colombia
- Rose Revolution in Georgia
Hundreds of teachers in each of these countries have received professional development through the project, and its exchange opportunities have provided unique cross-cultural experiences in which educators share expertise and best practices with their peers abroad.
Civic Voices is funded by a three-year grant (Q307A090003) from the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act approved by the U.S. Congress. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and endorsement by the federal government should not be assumed. More information on the project is available on this downloadable flier.
