The rise in popularity of justice in Romania in recent years has revealed a lack of knowledge of the field by most citizens. What does the rule of law mean? How is a law passed? What fundamental rights do we have as citizens?
Realising the importance of bringing answers to these questions to young people, LiderJust volunteers have started several legal education projects. The fight against ignorance of the values of the rule of law and fundamental rights is being waged on several levels.
The first project run by LiderJust volunteers raises the important issue of the need for a general legal and civic culture among young people. Thus, the project "Values of the rule of law. Legal education in high schools" started with workshops in 8 high schools in the country where young people debated issues related to the relationship between the rule of law and the values essential to its existence, discussed what independence, integrity, courage, honesty, responsibility, vision or team mean.
The second project is run by LiderJust in partnership with the Romanian Centre for European Policies and aims to support legal education courses in Romanian schools and high schools by magistrates, lawyers, mediators. The first step in this project was the training of lawyers who will teach the courses. The second step is to have them teach the courses in schools and high schools across the country. The topics to be covered in the lessons range from how to pass a law to how to challenge a traffic fine. In addition to informing young people about different aspects of law, the project aims to make an initial assessment of the effects of introducing such an educational programme in schools.
On a third level, some LiderJust volunteers, together with young people working in marketing and IT, have designed a lesson plan on the fundamental rights of citizens. The lesson plan is a free resource that can be used and improved by anyone interested. It is primarily aimed at teachers, who can use it in civics or leadership lessons, where they can teach students interesting aspects of freedom of expression, the right to privacy or the right to petition in an interactive way.
In a state that has begun to realise the importance of education for the development of society, LiderJust volunteers are therefore proposing more legal education programmes for young people. Public discussions on the introduction of certain optional subjects in the school curriculum (from religion to sex education) must be backed up by constant and sustained civic activity. Being convinced that knowledge of the values of the rule of law and of fundamental rights and freedoms is essential for a developed society involved in the good functioning of the state, LiderJust volunteers will continue to invest in the education of young people in Romania.