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Mentor school for Democratic Culture, “Dragisa Lukovic Spanac” from Kragujevac, together with six local schools, marked the Day of Education for Democratic Culture with a series of creative, student-led activities aimed at promoting tolerance, diversity, and empathy in schools and the wider community.  

The event, which brought together students, teachers, parents and community members, featured an array of engaging activities all created by students, such as a presentation of the Democratic map, a board game My democratic self, Kefalica and forum theatre. Students also highlighted their cooperation with a local elderly care home, presented an interactive picture book on mental health, and organized a school fair – all focusing on values like cooperation and understanding.

The day’s grand finale was a puppet show called "May it be good for both you and me," which dealt with tolerance between students, followed by a lively flash mob in which teachers, parents, former students, and support workers sent a message of unity and support.

This celebration is part of the EU and Council of Europe’s “Quality education for all” action with “Dragisa Lukovic Spanac” serving as one of 36 mentor schools across Serbia. Along with its six mentee schools, it continues to foster a democratic school culture, teaching students the importance of respect, inclusion, and active participation in society.

This year, their six mentees from the Kragujevac school administration took active participation - elementary schools “Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic”, “Natalija Nana Nedeljković”, “Rada Subakic”, “19. oktobar”, “Sveti Sava” and “School with a home for hearing-impaired children”. These schools benefited from gudidance and direction in the process of adopting the Council of Europe’s competences for democratic culture.

The Day of Education for Democratic Culture is an example of a steadfast commitment to the ideals of democracy in Serbian education and is an event which symbolises the collective dedication to nurturing a democratic school culture.