Under rocket fire and police batons, in war-torn towns and villages and in forced emigration, fighting falsifications and misinformation, helping refugees and others in distress, retreating but not giving up. The activists of the Eastern European Citizenship Education Network (EENCE) have spent another year in full mobilisation and now it is time to take stock and wish each other a brighter tomorrow.

The past year has been very challenging for civil society in the Eastern Partnership.

Ukraine courageously fought Russian aggression. The Lukashenko regime continued its brutal repression of civil society activists inside and outside the country. The Georgian authorities passed a series of repressive laws restricting the activities of NGOs and also reversed the course towards European integration. Moldova withstood horrendous pressure and an attempt to overthrow the democratic government. Civil society organisations in Azerbaijan and Armenia continued their work under difficult conditions.

Despite this, EENCE continued to be a platform that brings together citizenship education providers, helps them share experiences and strengthen each other by implementing joint projects.

In 2024, we organised Citizenship Education Eduthons in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Poland.

Some 160 participants in these events, with the help of EENCE experts, were able to refine their project ideas aimed at promoting citizenship education and democratic values.

Eduthon winners organised about 130 events in their countries aimed at developing local communities, increasing media literacy, addressing issues of importance to society, involving people in the life of society, etc. More than 6,000 people – teachers, students, expatriates, community activists, schoolchildren, elderly people, war veterans, etc. – participated in these events.

More than 200 people participated in another new project of the Network – EENCE:Dialogue.

Within its framework, experts from the Eastern Partnership countries, as well as Germany, Austria, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland and a number of other countries discussed how to promote citizenship education in the context of war and political crises, propaganda and attempts to restore authoritarianism, how to ensure inclusiveness and protection of human rights in such difficult conditions.

In 2024, the Network’s working groups actively worked on issues of youth involvement in civic activism, psychological support for adducators, countering hate speech and other topics relevant to the region.

The Network experts updated the profiles of the state of citizenship education in the Eastern Partnership countries.

In 2024, more than 30 new organisations and adducators will become EENCE members. Thank you for your trust!

We are grateful to all members and partners of the Network for being with us this year, supporting us, working together with us!

We wish everyone good health, strength and energy in the New Year! May the New Year be the Year of Peace and the triumph of justice and democracy!