1.2 The participative dimension of EDC/HRE: learning “for” democracy and human rights

To be able to take part in democracy, the students should learn how to exercise their rights and freedoms – for example, their right of free access to information and of free thought, opinion and expression. They should also have active experience in interacting with others – such as promoting their interests, negotiating for compromise, or agreeing on how to define “the general welfare” (UDHR, Article 29). They should be able to act in a framework of rules and accept the limits they may impose on them. They should have developed an attitude of responsibility for the welfare of others and the community as a whole.

In short, they should not only have understood the implications and links between the three human rights articles addressed above, but also appreciate their underlying values and act accordingly. In doing so, through democratic decision-making processes that do not result in a violation of human rights, they must be able to balance their interests with those of others and their community as a whole.

Students who have been trained in this way have learnt how to take part in democracy. This is the action-based dimension of EDC/HRE – learning “for” democracy and human rights, that is, with a view to the promotion and protection of democracy, the rule of law and human rights.