Democracy on Stage: Using Drama to Teach Active Citizenship and EU Values
Introduction
Bring democracy to life through drama. This dynamic course empowers educators to explore active citizenship and EU values using creative, participatory theatre techniques that foster critical thinking, inclusion, and student engagement.
Description
This course explores the pedagogical potential of drama-based learning as a transformative approach to teaching active citizenship and European Union values. Grounded in experiential learning and critical pedagogy, it introduces participants to key democratic principles, including human rights, participation, inclusion, and intercultural dialogue. Through techniques such as role-play, image theatre, and forum theatre, educators engage in embodied learning processes that deepen understanding of civic concepts and promote empathy and agency. The course connects EU priorities—democracy, social inclusion, and participation—with classroom practice, enabling teachers to design meaningful learning experiences that empower students as active and responsible citizens. Participants will collaboratively develop and test drama-based activities adaptable across subjects and educational levels.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Critically analyse core democratic principles and EU values in educational contexts
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Apply drama-based methodologies to teach active citizenship and civic engagement
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Foster inclusion, empathy, and intercultural understanding through participatory learning
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Facilitate student voice, agency, and collaborative decision-making
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Design and implement drama-based lesson plans across subject areas
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Address stereotypes, bias, and social challenges through creative exploration
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Promote critical thinking and reflective dialogue in the classroom
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Integrate experiential and embodied learning into everyday teaching practice
Methodology and Assessment
The course applies experiential, participatory, and reflective methodologies rooted in Drama in Education and Theatre of the Oppressed. Learning is scaffolded through collaborative activities, simulations, and micro-teaching. Assessment is continuous and formative, based on peer feedback, reflective discussions, and the design and presentation of drama-based lesson plans.
Materials, Digital Tools & Other Learning Resources
Participants will use role-play cards, scenario prompts, and facilitation guides. Digital tools such as Padlet, Mentimeter, and Canva support collaboration and content creation. Resources include EU policy documents, case studies, and adaptable lesson templates for classroom use.
Preparation
After registration participants will receive pre-course questionnaire which will be used by the trainer to learn about participants’ teaching backgrounds and to assess their exact needs. Before the beginning of the course a basic reading list will be suggested to participants to prepare for the training. Participants will also be asked to prepare a presentation about themselves, their professional context and their culture which will be presented during the course. Participants will receive information about the country they are going to visit in order to prepare them for their cultural experience.
Follow up
After the course participants will be asked to share what they have learned with the rest of the staff in their schools. Further books and articles to deepen the topic and contacts with some other practitioners all over Europe and in the world will be suggested by the trainer. The methods shared and explored and the bibliography given will allow the participants to complete and improve their educational path.
Certificate
Each participant will get a course attendance certificate and on request we will complete the Europass Mobility Document.
Accommodation
We do not directly offer accommodation and subsistence and participants are responsible for organizing it by themselves.
Paperwork
We also provide all the support with paperwork you might need for your Erasmus+ project documentation such as mobility agreement and registration letter.
Fee: 560 €
Cancelation policy
Free cancellation up to 30 days before the start. After that, the reservation is not refundable. Changes in name and profile of the participant are possible any time before the start of the course (replacement participants from the same school/org are accepted at any time). In case the school/org doesn't find a replacement, we will still offer a place at any of our confirmed courses later in the year without any additional costs but we can not guarantee that every course session will be confirmed and the school/org will only be offered to choose from already confirmed course sessions. In case it will not be possible for the participant to attend the course or for us to organize the course due to extraordinary circumstances (classified as such by the European Commission) which present themselves in the period of less than 30 days before the start of the course and we don’t manage to find an alternative solution, we will keep 50 % of the payment and refund the remaining balance of 50% to the payer’s bank account.
Draft Programme - 35 didactic hours
Day 1
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Welcome and introduction
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Outline of the programme
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Cultural exchange
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Warm ups and icebreakers
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Course expectations and needs analysis, setting up a collaborative learning environment and creating an educational contract
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Introduction to drama in education
Day 2
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Introduction to EU values
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Identity circles and role exploration
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Exploring stereotypes and bias through improvisation
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Hot seating activity
Day 3
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Exploring identity, diversity & inclusion
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Drama strategies for inclusion and diversity
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Case-based scenarios (migrants, minority voices, exclusion)
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Designing inclusive classroom activities
Day 4
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Active Citizenship in Action
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Forum theatre introduction
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Creating short scenes about real-life civic issues
Day 5
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Forum theatre practice
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Audience intervention and problem-solving
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Reflection: empowering student voice through drama
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Linking to competencies (critical thinking, participation)
Day 6
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Understanding rights, responsibilities, and ethical dilemmas
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Human rights exploration through role-play scenarios
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Decision-making simulations
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Debate-in-role: conflicting perspectives in democratic societies
Day 7
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Design of personal plan for implementation of teaching active citizenship and EU values using drama
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Presentation of outputs(personal implementation plans)
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Group reflection, feedback and discussion
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Dissemination strategy and European dimension
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Validation of the learning outcomes
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Evaluation of the course
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Closing session