Democratic participation and active citizenship at school Comenius project IES Antonio Fraguas Santiago de Compostela School Year

GROUP-WORK DISCUSSING ON DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION AT SCHOOL

I’m Marco I’m Adrian I’m Soraya I’m Laura

I’m Mauro I’m Sandra I’m Sara I’m Mariña

I’m Ada I’m Huaxin I’m Gustavo I’m Andrea I’m Jacobo

I’m Isabel I’m Cristian I’m Luis I’m Oriana I’m Alba

I’m Antia I’m Marcos I’m Antia I’m David

We visited an exhibition about Citizenship and solidarity At the socio-cultural Centre in Fontiñas

What does it mean to be European citizens? What are the rights and obligations European citizens have?

News Exhibition organized by the Assembly of Cooperation on Peace The students from 3rd ESO C at Antonio Fraguas School visit “De profesión, ciudadanos” The group of 23 pupils from 3rd ESO C visited yesterday, in the Socio-cultural centre of Fontiñas, the exhibition on democracy and citizens participation as part of the Comenius Project they are developing this year together with other four European schools. Sandra Viz Lasheras Thursday, 15 October, pupils from 3rd ESO C at IES Antonio Fraguas Fraguas visited the exhibition “De profesión, ciudadanos”, on cooperation and citizenship that the NGO-D offers in the Socio-cultural centre of Fontiñas.

News The exhibition covers five themes that are related to the development and the imbalance between nations, and forms of government. The students focused more on the part that deals with democracy and citizen participation, since they are interested in the Comenius project that are working in the classes of English and Spanish Language. Although they also saw and wrote down data and aspects linked to the difference in wealth between countries, women's rights. News on the Exhibition (II)

News on the Exhibition (III) The exhibition looks very original, the hall is full of boxes with different pieces of information, texts and images. The topic I was most interested in is the one about democratic rights as well as the information on the various governments that Spain has had, before and after the dark Franco´s ruling period. It was represented by photos of the democratic presidents. To what concerns citizen participation and to the work of NGOs, the letter D drew my attention. It stands for DEVELOPMENT, and it is also the letter which appears in the name of that organization.

Spanish Constitution article 35 Chapter II Second Section About citizens’ rights and obligations “All Spaniards must work, and the right to have a job They have the right to choose their job and to get enough salary for their needs and the needs of their family. They cannot be discriminated because of their sex”

Comic Strips 12

3 5 4 Comic Strips (II)

Comic strips Alba Mª Ferrás Aldrey Yesterday, in class of Spanish language, the students analyzed in groups of five the strips on political issues that our teacher brought. These strips deal with politics but they give an ironical view on the issue. The first of the strips shows a totalitarian regime, a country where there is dictatorship, and where the citizens are frightened. We had this regime in Spain and it lasted 40 years. In our state we already suffered the dictatorship but in other countries they are still suffering it. The second strip shows a democratic and parliamentarian regime in which citizens have several opinions and ideas.

Comic strips (II) The citizens who live in democracy can have a say, can enjoy the contrast of ideas, the empathy and pluralism, in other words, we can be free to express our ideas. The political system that the third cartoon shows is oligarchic, that is, the one in which only a small group of people rules, which impose his authoritarianism, and their ideas and there is no empathy. The people have to keep silent and with fear, as in the dictatorship.

Strips (III) The fourth strip mocks the behaviour some politicians have, especially the behaviour of those who, before the elections, try to disqualify the other political parties.. The last strip shows how important it is for citizens to think about the way political parties behave before citizens can vote. For me the best political regime is democracy, because you choose your representatives, there is empathy and pluralism. The bad thing is that some politicians disqualify their opponents from other political parties. But if there were no diversity of views it would be boring and there would not be politics.

Democracy Respect Diversity Coexistence Responsibility Equal opportunities for everyone Empathy Justice …

How do we participate as citizens ?

European Parliament National Assembly Autonomic Parliament Town Council Associations High School Family

Town Hall Galician Parliament Our school IES Antonio Fraguas

You are European citizens. How do you participate?

OPINION “Democracy” ANTIA GIL BALDOMIR The word democracy means that the people are the ones that have the power and delegates it. In a democratic regime, the people choose their political representatives, the ones who govern. However, in some places they have a political system that is not democratic, and they live in authoritarian regimes, in which a single party governs, a single person or only the rich people rule. I believe that democrats should do all the necessary to avoid an authoritarian government in order not to be afraid of speaking, thinking and expressing their feelings and ideas.

OPINION (II) “Democracy” In a democratic system there are two types of representation, the direct representation that is one in which the people are the ones that take their decisions and they are not represented by any political party or association, and the representative democracy, in which a political body represents and takes decisions,not the people.. Sometimes these political parties have problems between them, or between the government and the opposition, something that should not happen. I also believe that it should be avoided that men and women from the parties criticize other ways of government disrespectfully. If everyone, before electing our representatives, thought how our government should be, which would be the best party to govern and suit us best, we would have a better government.

Santiago de Compostela Galicia-Spain IES. ANTONIO FRAGUAS 3 RD FORM SECONDARY EDUCATION Music: MILLADOIRO Auga de Maio. Tema “No Confín Dos Verdes Castros”