Democracy Workshops – Montenegro

The concept of the ‘Democracy Workshops’ was established by the Parliament of Austria in October 2007 and provided a place for young Austrians, who are entitled to vote in elections once they turn 16, to learn about parliamentary democracy, parliamentary work, the adoption and enforcement of laws, as well as the role of media in a pluralistic society. More than 50,000 young Austrians successfully completed the workshops from 2007 to the end of 2012.

Given the project’s great success in Austria, ERSTE Stiftung decided to bring the Democracy Workshops to Central and South Eastern Europe, and Montenegro was chosen as the first country in this region to host the workshops.

Together with the educational agency “Müllers Freunde”, which was responsible for their implementation in Austria, the Parliament of Montenegro and ERSTE Stiftung selected the renowned Montenegrin NGO, Forum Youth and Non-formal Education (Forum MNE) following a call for proposals. The NGO, which has been working in youth education for several years, was put in charge of holding the workshops.

Since October 2012 the workshops on democracy and parliament have been held daily in Podgorica in the immediate vicinity of the parliamentary building. A second workshop on the European Union was launched in February 2013 to satisfy the high demand.

To read more about the Democracy Workshops visit here or here.