Abstract:

RIGHTS, (www.rightsproject.info), is a project which promotes, in secondary schools, the use of digital storytelling as a powerful and interactive tool to renew global citizenship learning approaches.

Rights is a two-year project co-funded by the EU Lifelong Learning Program. There are seven partners involved(Schools, non profits, universities, cultural organisations) in Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland and Norway. RIGHTS started in October 2011.

The RIGHTS project has been born as an echo to the Millennium Development Goals and the reflection of the Council of Europe about the goal of Democratic Citizenship Education as "not just equipping learners with knowledge, understanding and skills, but also empowering them with the readiness to take action in society in the defence and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law”.

RIGHTS addresses this specific need, promoting the Education for Global Citizenship (EGC) by enhancing interactive teaching in secondary schools in Europe through the use of new technologies and Digital Storytelling. EGC is a comprehensive approach to the challenges of the present globalized world, with an emphasis on individual and social responsibility and consequent capacity of action. It points out to the empowering of the individual, not only to the transmission of notions.

RIGHTS focuses on the use of digital storytelling, and effective learning tool in stimulating creativity and critical thinking through the combination of the ancient art of telling stories with different digital and technological tools. RIGHTS project allows both teachers and students to approach EGC in a creative and interactive way, and at the same time to develop transversal key competences such as digital, social and civic competences and cultural awareness.

A general syllabus was written amongst all the educational professionals involved in the project. It was based on a research that aimed at understanding and comparing current experiences and expectations around Information and Communication Technologies, Digital Storytelling and EGC, from an EU wide perspective. Combining theoretical elements about active democracy with community, and practical approach of digital storytelling tools and methodology, this syllabus promotes a global citizenship dynamic view.

Therefore, RIGHTS didactic methodology is firstly tested through the delivery of an online training course to teachers. This course trains teachers and students on how to teach on Global Citizenship topics through the practical use of digital storytelling techniques and common production of short videos. Through the use of online discussion forums, through messaging and by developing assignments in a participatory way, the participants establish connections with each other through the available forms of communication, exchanging information, experience and support. From November 2012 to March 2013, RIGHTS brings more than 150 European educational professionals together to follow the training course. Secondly, from March to May 2013, the European project will organize a series of workshops with students and teachers, supported by facilitators in producing their personal digital stories, ending in a final conference in Barcelona in September 2013.

Keywords:

Digital storytelling, global citizenship, education for citizenship.