Young politicians, activists from all over Croatia participated in the third Gong’s School of Democracy.
The Democracy School, which took place from June 5 to 7, was attended by 17 young politicians from as many as 6 parties, as well as activists from various associations from all over Croatia.
Through various lectures and discussions, the participants reflected on the importance of political education, the inclusion of citizens in political processes, the fight against corruption, and ways of monitoring and supervising the work of political actors with the aim of strengthening democratic political culture.
We opened the third Democracy School with a lecture on political culture, socialization, and political education, led by Gong's Tanja Štampar and Milica Bogdanović.
We continued the day with a lecture by Professor Bert Šalaj on the contemporary understanding of democracy. Elections were discussed as the central event of democracy. Professor Šalaj also presented an overview of the Freedom House report, according to which only 20% of the world's population lives in liberal democracies, while as many as 80% live in partial democracies or undemocratic regimes.
We ended the day with a quiz about the European Union, and the participants showed an enviable knowledge of European institutions, culture, sports, and gastronomy.
We started the second day of the School with a discussion about the role and importance of civil society for the health of democracy. Professor Kosta Bovan from the Faculty of Political Science discussed with the participants who politicians are, how much power they have in society, what democracy expects from citizens, and what from politicians. Gong's Matej Mikašinović Komšo continued with the topic of civic participation in the digital sphere and discussed with the participants the challenges of the post-truth world.
Professor Dario Čepo from the Zagreb Faculty of Law spoke about the role and importance of independent institutions. He particularly emphasized the importance of the judiciary and other institutions, as well as the connection between corruption and the quality of democracy in society.
We dedicated the third day to the actors who watch over democracy. Oriana Ivković Novokmet opened the day with the question of why the reform of electoral districts is important for democracy, presenting Gong’s proposal for a model of six electoral districts. She also spoke about the differences between the existing and proposed models. Josipa Brajković Dika continued with the topic of referendums to date, explaining the differences between local and national referenda, as well as the issue of expanding the right to vote, including voting at the age of 16 and electronic voting.
The Third School of Democracy was closed by Svjetlana Knežević, who presented Gong’s role as a democracy watchdog, an activity that warns of political threats, amplifies the voice of citizens, and obstructs corruption, intending to increase political accountability by raising awareness and encouraging citizens to take active action.
