The Democracy Initiative

We want to be a driving force for democracy development in society and therefore deepen our commitment in this area. We want this to be a part of our business, both in the education of students and in our research, locally, nationally and internationally, and not least when we interact with other actors in society.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

One of the tasks of the Swedish university is to create opportunities for students to develop their ability to act as active citizens in a democratic society, both during student time and afterwards. Within the framework of the Bologna Agreement, which aims to promote quality and internationalization in European higher education, and as Sweden has signed, this is stated. The democracy perspective is also an important part of the common value base for state employees.

In practice, this means that our education needs to be deliberately designed so that democratic ideals, social responsibility, civic engagement, and value issues get a place in the education.

In Sweden there is no strong tradition of this work. Nor has the work on the Bologna process been particularly important at national level. It is therefore important that work is started locally and University West wants to show the way.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Because we do not have a strong national tradition of democracy in higher education in Sweden, there is also not much experience to lean against. The initial steps are therefore to raise awareness of employees and students on the importance of the questions in general and to seek cooperation with international organizations and institutions. In many other countries, not least in the United States, there is a multifaceted work.

First of all, we look for what is commonly called "best practice", that is, ways to work with questions and practices that have proven to work. Where can efforts be put in? The bay significance has control documents? What training activities work? How can you work with the surrounding community? What traps should you avoid at work?