THE CORE PROGRAMME

Emerging Civic Leaders: Fundamentals of Democracy and Civic Engagement
Sapere Aude (Dare to Know): Freedom and Responsibility

The School of Civic Education was created for one reason above others: because the education of young would-be leaders — in civic thought and action, in democratic politics, in ethics in government — did not exist.

Sapere Aude (Dare to Know) was invoked in the 1784 essay What is Enlightenment? by the German philosopher Emmanuel Kant. To Kant, sapere aude meant «having the courage to use your own understanding». It was his motto, and it has become the School’s.

At the centre of our work are two core seminars. These are the Fundamentals of Democracy and Civic Engagement; and Sapere Aude (Dare to Know): Freedom and Responsibility. They are structured to lead the participants from the ideas and theories of civic thought to discussions of more challenging national and global issues. The programme introduces new participants to the principles of the rule of law, freedom of expression and human rights, then leads them on to a commitment to civic activity. Activities include a series of two Sapere Aude seminars, followed by a seminar on Freedom of Speech, Media, and Society.

THE ADVANCED PROGRAMME

Advanced Seminars for Active and Engaged Alumni: Putting Ideas Into Action

Built over its many years of civic education, the School has a strong and well-established network of alumni in Russia, as well as diaspora, and across the entire post-Soviet region. Members of this network include civic activists, NGO leaders, media representatives, academics, human rights defenders, lawyers, social entrepreneurs, educators.

The Advanced Programme is spread over a year: it includes four seminars where a select 25 participants are supported and mentored as they develop social and community projects. Learning leadership is the key element in this: without the ability to lead, to understand the roles assigned to them and to respond to leadership, change will falter. As part of the programme, the participants will develop and implement projects of their own choosing.

More than 100 of these social and community-based initiatives have been developed and launched by alumni and participants at local, regional and interregional levels since this programme started in 2018. More recently, nearly all the participant projects have focused on Russia’s war with Ukraine, assisting refugees from the war zone and those fleeing repression; taking on and refuting the pro-war propaganda in Russian media; developing projects of direct help to those caught up in the war and designing ways in which expats throughout Europe can be helped.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE PROGRAMME

Creating a safe space for those on the front lines of human rights

«Human Rights Defenders for Peace and Justice» (HRDs) is the School’s programme launched immediately after the full-scale invasion and as a response to Russia’s unprecedented aggression in Ukraine, aimed to support and strengthen the capacity of HRD professionals from Russia and Belarus. The programme is also striving to advance the rule of law, international law, counter state impunity at both national and international level and advocating for greater support and cooperation from the international community.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, repression inside both Russia and Belarus has grown exponentially. The targets are everyone opposing the regime, and primarily human rights defenders. Exponentially increased persecution in Russia and Belarus makes the work of human rights defenders in these countries extremely difficult: the rights organisations have been liquidated or banned, defenders and peaceful activists have been imprisoned, and respect for basic civic freedoms is all but non-existent. The School, together with the Law and Democracy Centre (Justice Hub) in Vilnius, Lithuania launched a programme to support human rights defenders from Russia and Belarus, to сreate a safe space for co-ordination of joint efforts, exchange of experience, as well as for interaction and exchange with colleagues from Ukraine and international organisations. The programme addresses the following pressing issues:

  • To document the situation with human rights both in Russia and Belarus and provide support for those repressed.
  • The programme aims to empower human rights organisations and individuals to be fully involved in the implementation of initiatives to document war crimes, promote the idea of justice for the crime of aggression and crimes against humanity, and to counter state impunity at the national and international level.
  • To support and enhance HRDs’ work through a safe platform to support the legal and advocacy communities, to help them channel their joint efforts to the areas of greatest need, to work together on joint initiatives, projects, or to exchange experiences.

THEMATIC SEMINARS

Our thematic seminars are delivered in cooperation with the following partners:

Pressure on Russian civil society grew in the years prior to the war: the scale of it is now unprecedented. We are dealing with close to total control over Russian society and an exponential growth in persecution for dissent and independence. Yet, perhaps because of the pressure, we see a big demand for participation in our events from alumni.

The School is able to respond through its close ties with its international partners, providing yearly opportunities for participants to be a part of the School’s life. Seminars offer alumni continuing learning and networking opportunities. Programme topics include the environment, mass-media, resource management, and NGO resiliency.

Climate, Energy and Civil Society (with NUPI, Oslo)

For this event, scholars who are originally from Russia and other post-Soviet countries and who do research on climate and energy issues, are brought together to build personal contacts and networks. Particular attention is paid to the communication of research and the contribution of researchers to public debate. The participants include around 15 academics and five non-academics (environmental activists and journalists), one keynote speaker, and staff of NUPI and the School. Most participants will be early-career academics, working in different parts of the world, with the potential to become thought leaders in this area. These scholars present papers or books on topics related to climate policy, energy, decarbonisation and other issues related to the programme. General economics or geopolitics, with a focus on Russia, the former Soviet Union and global world is also included.

What Makes Society Work (Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm)

The seminar is organised by the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) in cooperation with the School and takes place at the Stockholm School of Economics in Stockholm.

Why are some countries more economically successful than others? Is it because of natural resources or other geographical aspects or because of religious or cultural differences? Increasingly many social scientists point to differences in how societies are organised, or to differences in institutions. Institutions’ structures encourage political, economic and social exchange and are consequently key to how societies evolve. The goal of the three-day programme is to mix theoretical background on the role of institutions in solving problems of cooperation, with individual lectures on specific topics, and with practical examples of how the government or other organisations address specific questions in Sweden.

Resilience Building (with Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Warsaw)

This workshop seeks to bring School alumni together with leaders and peers from Poland and the region to identify new tools for resistance under duress. Participants learn about the experiences of Polish civic activists, heightening their solidarity in situations of ongoing repression. Participants are expected to learn more about the experience of democratic transformation in different societies, the process of transitional justice, and the legal and political process of restoration of the rule of law after a crisis.

U.S.-Based Seminar Programming (with Supporters of Civil Society)

For more than 15 years, the School of Civic Education has collaborated with the U.S.-based NGO, Supporters of Civil Society (SCS) to provide seminars in the U.S. for its most civically engaged alumni. These programmes, held twice per year, focused on American governance, including the rule of law, human rights, and civic engagement.

The programmes introduced participants first to good governance and best practices in the United States, focusing on the legislative and judicial functions at the local, state, and federal levels, and second, to the core principles and practices underlining open civil societies with a focus on the rule of law and basic human rights. Programmes included topics such as citizen engagement, public-private initiatives, judicial independence, investigative journalism, economic and community development principles and practices, and the role of non-governmental organisations in policy development and programme delivery. Topics were explored through site visits, presentations and discussions with federal judges, journalists, NGO and policy leaders, and academics.

Each year, one programme was held in St. Louis, Missouri in partnership with the University of Missouri-St. Louis and one was held in Chicago, Illinois in partnership with The Great Cities Initiative of the University of Illinois-Chicago. Each programme also included a component in Washington, DC where the participants had the opportunity to meet with high-level government, academic and policy leaders.

Due to COVID, the seminars were presented online in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the programmes were suspended due to travel limitations and safety concerns as a result of the war in Ukraine. The U.S.-based programmes will resume when it is safe to do so.

MASS-MEDIA PROGRAMME

Freedom of Media and Message

Russian independent journalists are faced with increased censorship, threats to their own personal safety and that of their families. They can be harassed and imprisoned on charges of «espionage» and «dissemination of deliberately false information». All independent media outlets have been blocked in Russia. Many journalists have been forced to leave the country.

Journalists from the CIS countries (with a special tribute to Ukrainian journalists) continue putting their lives and freedom at risk, some to report from the war field, others to counter propaganda.

The programme aims not only to support journalists, but also to empower those who work professionally in the field with a deeper understanding of the global processes and development of international architecture. The discussions are also focused on the responsibility of a journalist and a citizen; the role of journalism in opposing tyranny; information wars, post-truth and fake news; the safety of journalists, and their own important role in working towards a just peace. In addition to journalists, the programme brings together bloggers, media professionals, and public influencers.

THE BERLIN FORUM

In Search of Lost Universalism, Berlin

Since 2015 the School has provided a space for open dialogue to rejuvenate the spirit of global civics. Traditionally, the event is organised in Berlin in partnership with one of the leading German foundations. Since 2022 that has taken the form of cooperation with Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

The idea behind the Forum is to recapture the spirit of solidarity that served as a basis for the creation of the European Union, as well as international and intergovernmental organisations after World War II. Our founders believe that, although there are many cultures, there is one civilization based on human rights, freedom, the rule of law and democracy. This conviction needs to be constantly refreshed, both individually and by group projects.

Annually, the Forum brings together over a 100 civil society representatives, renowned experts, public figures and prominent alumni to participate in expert debates and speak out on the various issues facing humanity today.

The initiative rests on the basis that many political and civic leaders, media professionals, human rights defenders, educators and environmentalists, including the alumni of the School and those who have passed through other Schools of Political Studies, represent an enormous potential for civil society and can help promote ideas of mutual understanding, tolerance, and trust among the public in their countries and beyond.

In sum, the Forum pursues networking, exchange and collaborative effort among like-minded people. It also serves as a platform for the Advanced Programme graduates of the School to present their civic projects.

Find out about our multimedia programme

Find out about our publishing programme