As part of SEEDS, we are working with our project partners to identify the needs of political education on the topic of security policy and the preservation of democratic values. To this end, we talk to experts and conduct focus groups and workshops with teachers and students at various schools. The needs analysis will be used to create a toolkit for imparting knowledge and strengthening democratic resilience, which will then be piloted in schools.
In addition to a stable economic supply situation, protection against crime, terrorism, military attacks or threats posed by pandemics or environmental disasters, security in Austria also means the defence of the sovereignty and neutrality of the state as well as the maintenance of democratic values and freedoms. The latter includes civic education, which is implemented in Austrian schools, and deals with the development of a general understanding of democracy. In order to realise the goals of civic education, the teaching of an age-appropriate understanding of Austrian security policy, sovereignty and neutrality as well as the liberal-democratic basic values of its political institutions must be further developed. This reorganisation must also take into account the information sources available to young people and how to deal with them. The research and development project SEEDS (Security Education by Empowering Democratic Strength) deals with this strategic further development of civic education in relation to intellectual national defence. For this purpose, the level of knowledge and interest of students in security policy topics as well as the sources of information they use are being surveyed. The implementation of a structured needs analysis as part of the participatory involvement of pupils, teachers and experts from education and security answers the question of what is lacking and what is needed to develop an understanding of national security policy issues in school education. Based on this, solutions will be developed that support the transfer of knowledge, as well as skills for checking the truthfulness of various sources of information.
Duration: December 2024 - July 2026
Contact: anke.schad-spindler(at)educult.at
Funded as part of the KIRAS programme
Partner: SYNYO, oiip, Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung; Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung
Project Website: seedsprojekt.at
kulturen in bewegung