September 22 seemed like an ordinary day in Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia. People milled about, carrying out their daily activities; some folks were walking, others reading.
That’s until the flashmob showed up.
Composed of 25 young adults, the group struck poses while reading aloud from civic education books created by IFES and its partners. The goal was to remind passersby of how important civil rights are to everyday life. The group displayed letters to create the words “rights,” “equality” and “participation.”
The flashmob, which garnered the attention of several news agencies including Rustavi 2, Kavkasia and Express News, was part of an IFES-led effort to promote civic education and engagement in the country.
Having an informed and engaged citizenry is crucial for a vibrant democracy. Civic education provides people with the necessary tools for becoming an active part of their society. By taking on this powerful responsibility, citizens have the power to positively influence the shaping of their country and promote an inclusive, representative and proactive government. Since 2010, IFES has been working at the university level to promote civic education for this very reason.
The civic education project formally began this fall with the launch of a course at four Georgian universities; with two more universities offering the course at the beginning of 2012. At present, participants include Caucasus University, Georgian-American University, Georgian Technical University, Grigol Robakidze University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and the University of Georgia.
By signing a Memorandum of Understanding with IFES on 21 July, the universities confirmed their desire for an informed and participatory student body and agreed to incorporate the curriculum on demokratia da mokalakeoba (democracy and citizenship) into their classes. The curriculum aims to strengthen students’ understanding of civic responsibility and encourage their participation in public life by covering topics such as government systems, human rights, civil society and civic participation. The curriculum consists of in-class instruction and complementary activities that enable students to experience what they are learning. The course and the accompanying textbook were designed by IFES’ local and international experts, partner universities and local subject-matter experts.
To ensure that the curriculum is meeting set goals, the IFES civic education team, international civic education advisor and other IFES staff developed and have been implementing a monitoring and evaluation strategy. The pilot for this strategy includes pre- and post-testing of student skills and knowledge, focus group interviews with students and teachers, classroom observation and student self-evaluation.
Prior to the course’s launch, IFES conducted trainings for university professors. In late July, IFES international civic education advisor Dr. Greer Burroughs coordinated and co-facilitated trainings that incorporated Burroughs’ extensive international experience, adapting it to the Georgian context for professors of the civic education pilot course.
Seventeen professors from all six partner universities attended the trainings. To continue profiting from the experience, at the participants' request, IFES started monthly meetings that allow the professors to share their achievements and ideas on teaching the curriculum.
To increase the visibility of the course and encourage more students to join the classes, IFES has also been active in promoting the course. Beyond the Tbilisi-based flashmob, activities have included meeting with and informing partner university faculty and students, designing and distributing course materials and using a social media campaign.
The ultimate goal of IFES’ project in Georgia is to increase trust in electoral processes among the public and political participants. Understanding elections and the many components that go into them, as well as the rights and responsibilities one has as a citizen, is an important first step towards gaining an accurate picture and trusting a country’s electoral processes. IFES will continue to work on shedding light on these issues alongside the citizens of Georgia.
For more photographs of the flashmob, please visit our Facebook page.