I-Civic JYU

I-Civic is a network of researchers, educators, policy makers and civic organisations. The aim of the project is to rethink how we teach, learn and exercise democracy and individual and community participation. We design new models that connect schools with their local communities and create digital and interactive teaching tools that can help young people develop their civic participation, critical thinking and resistance to disinformation. I-Civic is funded by European Union, under Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA).

What is I-Civic?

We are a network of researchers, educators, policy makers and civic organisations.
The project has funding for the mobility of the researchers.
The tasks defined in the work packages are mostly done during the mobility periods.

Goals

To rethink how we teach, learn and exercise democracy and individual and community participation.
To design new models that connect schools with their local communities, so that civic learning becomes something that is lived and shared and not just taught in classrooms.
To create digital and interactive teaching tools that can help young people develop their civic participation and critical thinking and become more resistant to disinformation.
To have an impact beyond our consortium, influencing educational and policy frameworks by providing real evidence, good practices, and recommendations that promote inclusion, equality, and democratic resilience.

Participating organisations:

Tallinn University

University of Sienna

Cambridge

University of the Basque Country - UPV/EHU

University of Galway

University of Jyväskylä

ALDA, Strasbourg

EUDEC, Berlin

VABAMU Museum, Tallinn

Basque Government, Bilbao

Online seminar Monday the 2nd of March 2026

NB! The time shown in the program is Spanish time (CET): UTC+1, which means from 10.30 to 16.00 Finnish time (EET): UTC+2, and from 8.30 to 14.00 UK time (GMT): UTC+0

Teams-link for the seminar:

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/35583345267725?p=sh7RTAc6r1CrMB5cW8
Meeting ID: 355 833 452 677 25
Passcode: zT3XE3AC

Program

9.30–10.00 Welcome, program of the day and working instructions

What is the I-CIVIC project about? (Coordinators)
- Key core issues: what are the most important goals now, and what will we do in the first half of 2026?

10.00–11.00 Introductory words by the coordinators, Work package 1

Goals and schedule of WP1
- We will divide into three small groups, where we will plan the following outputs to be done together. One in each group, each one writes (30 min. Discussion)
- The discussion groups are as follows:
  1) Conducting a detailed review of the democratic deficit in European education (EHU, JYU).
  2) Case studies in selected regions on educational practices and their impact (TLU, ALDA, VABAMU).
  3) Design and administration of surveys and focus groups to collect data on informational resilience and civic engagement (UoC, UNISI)
  ➔ NB! University of Galway, EUDEC and Basque Government chose their discussion group
  ➔ After discussion short summaries by group, so that we can hear what was talked about in parallel groups (about 20 min). Each group will raise two of the most important issues from the discussion.

Short break

11.15–12.15 Practical examples of teacher training and co-creation task for groups

How democratic education is addressed in Finnish teacher training. Perspective also on phenomenon-based teaching and teacher training. (Matti Rautiainen and Aleksi Fornaciari) (approx. 30 min.)
Co-creation task (approx. 30 min):
➔ The goal of the task is to examine the concept of democracy in your school.
Next steps for I-CIVIC

Break at 12.15–13.15

13.15–13.45 Discussion about secondments

Until now, there are not many plans, yet for who will go and where.
How do I start planning an exchange? What are the expectations for the outputs to be produced during the exchange? Who do I contact to start the plan? (Joint discussion approx. 30 min. conducted by coordinators)
Destinations:
o Tallinn University
o University of Sienna
o University of Cambridge
o University of the Basque Country - UPV/EHU
o University of Galway
o University of Jyväskylä
o ALDA, Strasbourg
o EUDEC, Berlin
o VABAMU Museum, Tallinn
o Basque Government, Bilbao
Short general discussion
Instructions for answering the webropol (dl. 9.3.2026) by Najat Ouakrim-Soivio and Sonya Sahradyan. https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/28F95BB25D051B19

13:45–14:45 Introductory speeches

Openings to equality, democratic education, and social inclusion.
o Taina Saarinen: Equality in the education system
o Elina Vaara: Nordic youth attitudes towards equality and equality
o Sonya Sahradyan: Integration and inclusion of people with immigrant backgrounds
Commentary by the Spanish colleagues after each of the presentation.
General discussion at the end of the session.

14:45–15:00 Summary of the day and key takeaways (Najat Ouakrim-Soivio)

Work packages

The project consists of five work packages, three of which (WP1–WP3) are research-focused. The other two, WP4 and WP5, have a supporting role and last for the whole project. The work defined on the work package is mostly done during the mobility periods.

WP1 Characterisation of Democratic Deficits and Educational Gaps
Working months ~ 1–13, Nov 2025–Nov 2026 (research)

Lead by EHU

Objectives: Understanding the current challenges of democratic participation and educational gaps

Keys: Identify and analyse the causes of democratic deficits in education

Evaluate existing educational frameworks.
Collect data on young people's exposure to disinformation.
Design evidence-based educational tools and models.

Spesific tasks:

Conducting a detailed review of the democratic deficit in European education (EHU, JYU).
Case studies in selected regions on educational practices and their impact (TLU, ALDA,VABAMU).
Design and administration of surveys and focus groups to collect data on informational resilience and civic engagement (UoC, UNISI)

Deliverables:

D1.1 Annual report on democratic deficits in education, with recommendations and critical analysis D1.2 Database on civic participation and resilience to disinformation among young Europeans

WP2 Analysis of Barriers to Inclusivity and Misinformation Resilience
Working months ~ 13–24, Nov 2026–Oct 2028 (research)

Lead by TLU

Objectives:

Analyze socio-economic, cultural, and gender barriers to inclusive democratic education.

Tasks:

Analyzing socio-economic, cultural, and gender-based barriers to inclusivity (EHU, UNISI, EUDEC, UoG, VABAMU).
Evaluating the role of digital literacy in mitigating misinformation among students (TLU, UoC, JYU, ALDA, VABAMU, GBR).
Identifying best practices for fostering inclusive democratic education (ALDA, UNISI, EUDEC, UoG, VABAMU, EHU).

Deliverables:

D2.1: Analysis of Barriers to Inclusivity (Month 18).
D2.2: Framework for Inclusive Democratic Education (Month 24).
Assess the role of digital literacy in combating misinformation and promoting critical thinking.
Identify and share best practices that foster inclusivity and civic engagement.
Explore collaborations between schools and communities to strengthen democratic participation.
Propose evidence-based recommendations to build inclusive and resilient educational frameworks.

WP 3 Creation of New Models for Democratic Education and Community Engagement
Working months ~ 25–48, Nov 2027–Oct 2029 (research)

Lead by JYU

Objectives:

Co-create inclusive democratic education models connecting schools, communities, and local governance.
Develop interactive tools and digital resources to foster civic engagement and resilience to misinformation.
Validate and pilot these models in real settings, refining them through feedback and impact assessment.

Tasks:

Co-design educational models and community engagement strategies integrating schools, communities, and governance (UPV/EHU, EUDEC, ALDA, VABAMU, HEH, UNISI, UoC, JYU, TLU).
Develop digital tools and pedagogical materials to foster critical thinking, civic participation, and misinformation resilience (TLU, UoC, JYU, VABAMU, HEH, UoG, UNISI, EUDEC).
Pilot and evaluate the co-designed models and tools in real educational and community settings across Europe (UPV/EHU, UoG, UNISI, ALDA, VABAMU, HEH, EUDEC)

Deliverables:

D3.1: New Educational Models for Democratic Engagement (Month 36).
D3.2: Validated Toolkit for Schools and Communities (Month 48).

WP 4 Transfer of knowledge
Working months ~ 1–48, Nov 2025–Oct 2029 (training)

Lead by (UoC)

Objectives:

To deliver a comprehensive training program that equips researchers with theoretical, methodological, and transversal skills
to study and address democratic deficits, inclusivity barriers, and misinformation through innovative, multidisciplinary, and participatory approaches in education and civic engagement.

Tasks:

Design theoretical and methodological training contents on democratic education, civic engagement, and misinformation resilience (UoC, EUDEC, TLU, UNISI, JYU).
Implement a comprehensive online and in-person training program with interdisciplinary modules and certifications for researchers across Europe (JYU, UoC, TLU, UNISI, UoG, EUDEC, VABAMU, ALDA, HEH).

Deliverables:

D.4.1 Design of the training courses programme: A detailed report containing the training objectives, competences, contents, methodology,
organisation, and programming (D4).
D.4.2 Final training report: Detailed report of the training carried out: contents, teachers, follow-up and results obtained (D13).

Come to JYU / Practical tips on mobility

This handbook is for international staff members, grant researchers, and visitors. It includes important information about official matters related to arriving, working and living in Finland: Handbook for international staff and visitors | University of Jyväskylä
The University of Jyväskylä has a limited number of guest apartments near the University campus. The price of the apartments varies from €850–1450 per month. All apartments include furniture, cleaning and utility bills. The University’s guest apartments are very popular, so making an early reservation is recommended.
You can inquire about availability from the International Staff Services
Forenom offers a variety of one to four room apartments in the center of Jyväskylä and the surrounding area. All apartments are completely furnished also with kitchen items and linens. Rent includes utilities, internet and cleaning on arrival/departure. Furnished apartments, hostels and aparthotels - Forenom accommodation
Kotimaailma offers a variety of one to three room apartments in the center of Jyväskylä and the surrounding area. All apartments are completely furnished with a well-equipped kitchen as well as linens, laundry and bath supplies. Apartments have a clothes washer and a dishwasher. Rent includes utilities, internet, home insurance and cleaning on arrival/departure. Furnished Apartments - Kotimaailma
This handbook is for international staff members, grant researchers, and visitors. It includes important information about official matters related to arriving, working and living in Finland.
Handbook for international staff and visitors | University of Jyväskylä