Third graders from Alkoven experience democracy up close in an election project”

Third graders from Alkoven experience democracy up close in an election project”

In the small town of Alkoven, the middle school students gained their first experiences with political participation as part of an exciting project. The third graders dealt intensively with the topics of democracy and elections, not only learning theory from books, but also being actively involved in designing their own election project. The project took place under the guidance of teacher Johanna Gruber and was carried out parallel to the National Council elections.

The students were first introduced to the basic aspects of democracy. This ranges from the importance of elections to the different political parties and their programs. In order to demonstrate what they had learned in practice, the students founded their own parties. They developed political programs and elected top candidates who represented their visions and goals.

Political debate and election

An important part of the project was carrying out election advertising. The young people chose creative approaches to present their ideas and candidates to the public. They organized a political debate in which the candidates had the opportunity to present their points of view and answer questions from classmates. This debate not only promoted discussion about current topics, but also trained the ability to hear arguments and formulate one's own opinions.

A simulation of a real election was also on the program. Students turned their classrooms into official polling stations with voting booths. This gave them the opportunity to experience voting first hand. The atmosphere was tense as the children cast their votes and were able to show their influence on the outcome of the election.

With this project, the students not only gained basic knowledge about democracy and electoral processes, but also developed important social skills. The experiences will certainly accompany them throughout their lives and promote an early interest in political participation.

For more detailed information on the background and details of the project, the article can be found on www.tips.at be visited.