Learning the Language of Democracy - Betzavta Training Course

Project overview During the training course 24 multipliers (NGO staff, teachers, volunteers…) who work in the field of international youth work from Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia will get familiar with the Betzavta method. Trough interactive activities they are going to explore the democratic decision-making process in a more personal way, and eventually get a more fundamental understanding of democracy. Also, the participants focus on the use of Betzavta in their own working context. The international composition of the training fosters the development of intercultural cooperation on the international level. In addition the trainings offer the multipliers a platform for ex-change of ideas on their understanding of democracy. What is Betzavta? Betzavta is a Hebrew word and means "togetherness". The title of this method of learning democracy, which was developed by the Adam Institute in Israel, makes up the programme and philosophical background at the same time. Betzavta questions the traditional and unsatisfactory paths of conventional conflict resolution with surprising seminar units and presents in its place the concept of creative conflict resolution. With the help of a special conflict dilemma method, it achieves the essential conditions for tolerant social interaction: the willingness to mutually recognize the right to personal freedom. On this basis, the four steps of democratic decision-making provide the conflicting parties with a valuable tool for dealing with conflicts in a novel way. Betzavta is an internationally renowned democracy education programme used in schools and non-school educational institutions.