Back Books about developing democratic families presented in Belgrade

Books about developing democratic families presented in Belgrade

Books for parents who seek to raise their children to be active citizens - “Growing up in a democratic family” and “Living in a democratic family” – developed under joint European Union/Council of Europe “Quality education for all” action, were presented in Belgrade today.

The books guide the reader through models of parenting, daily life of a family and different situations where democracy can be used to help children overcome problems. “Growing up in a democratic family” is developed for parents of children of two age groups, 6-10 y.o. and 11-14 y.o., while a separate volume, “Living in a democratic family”, is developed for adolescents, from 15 to 19 y.o. Even though primarily aimed at parents, the publications can also be used in schools and by education professionals.

Rolf Gollob, one of the books’ authors explained the aim of the books: “We didn’t want to write another book about parenting and upbringing, we wanted to make a tool to help parents bring up kids in a democratic society. Democratic family is about listening each other, even the youngest one, and that’s what we also covered in the books. Democracy is so much more than an institution, it’s about finding solutions together in our families, schools, and society”, he said.

"We hope that these manuals will help parents in overcoming certain family situations, and you in schools to show parents that they have a tool they can use everyday”, added Svetlana Lazić, co-author of the books.

Why is it important to have books like these? The structure of the society we live in, and that of the families evolve; patchwork” families, for instance, are becoming more and more commonplace. At the same time, while raising children to be more democratic”, has never been more important than now. It is not just about teaching them how to be safe on the internet or how to raise them “good people”, it is also about teaching them how to fight for their rights and rights of others, how to accept diversity, how to think critically and make informed decisions based on research data and much more. That’s just a small part of topics one can find in these books.

Parents are shaping the future of the society through their children. This puts a great responsibility of them, especially that raising children today becomes ever more challenging”, said Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Council of Europe office in Belgrade. “The social media, the pandemic, the uncertainty about where the society is drifting – all of this is discussed in families every day. I am confident that the majority of parents in Serbia want their children to be raised in respect for human rights, diversity and democratic values. The books and materials we are presenting today, elaborated together with the European Union, can serve as a tool for parents and all those who work with children to make this a reality and can ultimately help shape a better society of tomorrow,” added Tobias Flessenkemper.

Snežana Vuković from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia said: “Manuals like these are what our system was missing. They help us raising children, in co-operation with parents, in a way that society is synchronised: schools, media, parents.” As she noted, the action “Quality education for all” helped in nurturing critical thinking in children and in respecting their opinions, and to do all that parents are needed as well. “These manuals have great applicability not only in programmes of the Ministry of education, but in society as well. Ministry will promote manuals as an important tool in education system”, she added.

Two volumes are accompanied by additional materials the authors created to spark creativity, discussion, and family fun time: “Our democratic family” poster, “Co-operation-organiser: the family as a team” planner and “Table game for families: with dice, brains and laughter”.

The action “Quality education for all” is implemented under the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.

Belgrade 19 October 2021
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