Online Rights and Responsibilities Training for Teachers in Romania, Led by the Civic Digital Incubator
The Civic Digital Incubator (ICD) Project in Romania Fosters Digital Citizenship and Democratic Culture
The Civic Digital Incubator (ICD) project, launched in September 2023 and scheduled to run until August 2026, is a collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing digital citizenship and promoting democratic culture among students and teachers in Romania. The project is implemented by Institutul Intercultural Timișoara, Asociatia TechSoup, and Scoala de Valori, and is supported by the Ministry of Education and Research.
The ICD project reaches approximately 267,000 students and has seen the participation of 2,747 teachers in its offline and online activities and courses. The project offers free training to teachers in pre-university education, with a focus on topics such as rights and responsibilities, accessibility, inclusion, online well-being, and ethics.
The project is structured around the 10 digital domains of digital citizenship and introduces 4,500 free online courses for teachers via the "Predau Viitor" course platform, developed by TechSoup Association. Some activities within the project are specifically designed for social studies, informatics, or information and communication technology (ICT) teachers.
The project adheres to the European reference guidelines for competencies for democratic culture. It addresses three themes: online interaction, online well-being, and online rights. The Democratic School initiative, led by Scoala de Valori, offers offline and online activities for students and teachers in 30 schools, using SELFIE and DigComp methodologies.
The ICD project is part of a broader EU effort to improve digital governance and civic technology in Romania, similar to other European projects supported under Horizon Europe or EU digital governance programs. While the exact timeline of ICD Romania is not specified in the available data, these projects often run for 1-3 years.
Advocacy activities to increase awareness of digital citizenship are primarily carried out by the Timișoara Intercultural Institute. The project does not specify a timeframe beyond the previously mentioned September 2023 to August 2026 period, nor does it introduce new focus topics beyond those previously mentioned. The project is not currently supported by any new institutions beyond the Ministry of Education and Research.
For more precise details about the ICD Romania project’s scope, duration, and objectives, checking official Romanian government or EU digital innovation program announcements would be advisable.
Technology plays a significant role in the Civic Digital Incubator (ICD) project, as it is leveraged to develop free online courses for teachers on various topics related to digital citizenship. The project also fosters self-development opportunities by providing access to over 4,500 online courses, emphasizing areas such as rights and responsibilities, accessibility, inclusion, online well-being, and ethics.
