NIMD | From parties for parties

Jerome Scheltens

Programme manager

NIMD’s approach to Democracy Education

On NIMD:• NIMD was founded in The Netherlands in 2000 by then all Political Parties

in Parliament

• Aim = Supporting democracy by strengthening political parties by working

directly with political parties

• Via Interparty Dialogue, custom bilateral party support, peer-to-peer

exchanges, policy process support, democracy schools

Currently working in 25 countries:•11 in Africa; •6 in Latin America; •2 in Europe;•2 in Asia;•4 in North Africa & Middle East•Thematic regional/global projects

Principles:•Impartiality•Inclusiveness•Equality•Ownership•Partnership•Flexibility & context specificity•Long-term commitment

NIMD & partners in Democracy Education:

Democracy Education:•Instrument in wider democracy strengthening strategy to enhance democratic culture

How?•NIMD providing framework and experience: ‘Democracy Schools’•Partners help to design curriculum and adapt to local context

Where?Democracy education in 7 country programmes:•With community focus: Burundi, Mozambique, Egypt, Georgia, Indonesia

•With political party focus: Burundi, Tunisia, Guatemala, Malawi, Egypt (pilot)

Different audience, different approach:

Distinctive for Civil Education:•Participants form civil society at large •Works with local political activists, grassroots campaigners, social entrepreneurs•Introduces key principles of political public engagement•Introduces practical knowledge for political engagement and technics for political participation•Skills and confidence builder for wide political engagement and monitoring

Citizens & community leaders

Democracy Education Politicians

Distinctive for Political Education:•Participants from key political

parties•Works with established political

figures & national civil society leaders •Addresses key issues of national

policy development.•Experience of participants becomes

key learning resource•Trust builder that can lead to opportunities to bring together

opposing political leaders

Characteristics of NIMD’s approach to democracy education

• Knowledge, Skills, Values; theory (applied during) & practice (in

and outside class, parallel to and after School)

• Not ‘Political Studies’, but a ‘Political MBA’

• Approach depends on audience/target group and country

context; political, geographical

• Local development of curricula;

Characteristics of NIMD’s approach to democracy education

• Long term School/Education more sustainable then ‘a’ training; deeper

knowledge & experience + cross-party interpersonal relations

• Involvement of alumni key in sustaining the process. Community of

alumni = an objective in itself

• Schools are multiparty and multi stakeholder platforms for safe

cross party exchange / interparty dialogue

• Schools as implicit think tanks (Georgia local councils)

Elements• Objective & context:

- strategy, political manoeuvre space & geography

• Selection considerations:

- profile criteria & process

• Attendance & Commitment, tricks for engagement:

- pre, during, -post

• Mentor/managers & Teachers/trainers

- different roles

- local were possible, external where needed

• (Guest) speakers

- who’s interest? -> not too many foreign politicians please

Elements (2)• Location

- Action or Isolation?

• Frequency

- Frequency: period of the w/m/y -> homework -> location

• Learning methodology• Variety in forms

• Balance supply & demand

• Interactive & instructional

• Theory & practice

• Peer to peer focus: adult learning styles and methodology:

• “BUT WE WANT GROUP WORK”

Elements (3)

• Exchange visits & Trips

- where is the value, what are the disadvantages

• Curriculum

- Do democratic skills exist? or only democracy values &

knowledge next to political skills bound by democratic

borders?

- be conscious of over moralizing, 90% of activities within

western democracies is political too

- Which political skills might we not want to teach them?

Design • Programme design consideration for Donors:

- Political programming and education require flexibility and long term

investment/ commitment

• The ToT-trap (or cascade roll out)

- T for Transfer, not for Topic: plan as ‘reverse pyramid’

• Implementing partner identification (e.g. wider frame of activities)

- Neutral facilitator (crisis mitigation) -> Diplomatic -> political mover ->

advocate -> activist

• No short term impact measurement or causalities as indicators for PM&E or

Intervention Logframes

Objective & context: discussion

Pre-political civil society participants

or

Current politicians / party agents:

“agents of change” or “changing the agents”?

(HR / activism) (Politics / Diplomacy)

Objective & context: discussion

Top-down or Bottom-up:

(Trickle-down or Mass-base)

National levelto achieve system change

or

Community levels to seek direct impact on citizens’ daily lives

(in terms of efficiency, not principle)

Tunisian School of Politics

Year-long monthly weekend school aimed at increasing skills

and knowledge on democratic practises (values).

Run by Tunisian ngo CEMI (EU funded INSPIRED-partner)

with financial and strategic support of international partners

NIMD & DEMO Finland (EPD-members) and BSoP (CoE-

School), and with funding from CoE (…EU)

What?

Tunisian School of Politics (TSoP)

Programme developed just after the “Arab Spring” in 2011,

schools 2 classes started in 2012, 3 now 2013.

Offer to party leadership to send their ‘promising’ youth

members. School makes final selection based on criteria.

- Recently established multiparty system. Politicians lack

democratic experience.

- Grooming new leaders

- Enforcing youth voice within all political parties

First group graduated in July 2012, of which 20 ANC-

members + other high level Far larger demand than places available TSoP is now political and diplomatic player

When?

Who?

Why?

Results?

Thank you for your attention