Democracy Week Gets Under Way in Schools

Democracy Week, a civic education initiative organized by the Open Estonia Foundation, will be celebrated in 30 secondary schools across the country with a series of lectures from September 12 to 16.

The lectures will be given by people whose everyday work is connected with protecting democracy and its core values, the foundation said in a statement.

They key speaker will be noted Russian journalist and satirist Viktor Shenderovich who will deliver a lecture in Tallinn on September 15. He will give the students an overview of the current political situation in Russia, focusing on the country's upcoming presidential and State Duma elections.

The list of speakers also includes political analyst Agu Uudelepp and head of the youth organization Open Republic Jevgeni Krishtafovitsh.

“During the 20 years of [Estonia’s re-independence], democracy has perhaps been taken too much for granted,” said Mall Hellam, head of the Open Estonia Foundation, adding that democracy is not a fixed notion and is constantly changing like the society itself, also calling for a bold debate over its values among the young people.

In 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed September 15 the International Day of Democracy.

The news article appeared in the English version of Estonian Public Broadcasting news portal and can be read fromhere.

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