Impact:
Course evaluations have yielded encouraging results on all measures—course instructor interviews and surveys, student surveys and focus groups, classroom observations, and pre-and post-tests. The results demonstrated that students gained knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to effectively monitor and hold the government and members of society accountable to principles of democracy in the digital age.
Using skills developed in the course, since 2021, alumni have gone on to intern at Ukrainian institutions like the Central Election Commission and National Agency on Corruption Prevention. Beyond the knowledge and the skills developed, students also demonstrated a desire to be active citizens. The course alumni organization Youth Democratic Association (YODA) and IFES have organized several extra-curricular activities, such as the DemVision action project competition, DemoGRAtia interactive game, and social media DemTalk events to support current students and maintain a robust and active alumni community. Furthermore, in April 2022 IFES helped establish the Civic Educators Association to help build the capacity of and support course educators.
Impact:
Course evaluations have demonstrated that course students and alumni experienced a positive transformation in their perceptions and understandings of the rights and roles of persons with disabilities and minorities; applied skills developed through course experiences to academic, professional, and civic endeavors; possessed a strong sense of efficacy toward their ability to affect change; and were committed to the realization of the principles of democracy for all Georgians. Many alumni went on to become civil society leaders, addressing problems in their communities and becoming champions for democracy in Georgia long after the course. With an eye to sustainability, IFES also supported the establishment of the Civic Education Lectures Association (CELA), which is a network of civic educators that represent the majority of accredited universities across the country; CELA currently maintains Georgia’s SEED curriculum. IFES has since partnered with Georgia’s Ministry of Education to expand civic education offerings to vocational education institutions.
In commemoration of the UN-designated International Day of Education, IFES recognizes the power of education to transform lives and the need for inclusive and accessible education for all.