As part of the Project "Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania”* which features a new theme emphasising the importance of remembrance in fostering a culture of democracy, 40 students and teachers from the Shtjefën Gjeçovi high school in Kurbin and Hamza Muça primary school, in Shkallnur, Durrës visited the former prison camp of Spaç, a political prison during the communist regime and participated a discussion forum.

The visit provided a valuable learning experience for young people to learn about the totalitarian past of Albania and reflect on the importance of freedom and human dignity. The participants, guided by experts, followed with interest the history of the former prison camp, seeing up close the prison cells, the forced labour environment and hearing moving stories from former prisoners.  Seeing the harsh conditions firsthand helped students grasp the realities of that era and the importance of fighting for democracy.

This activity was jointly organised by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents in Albania and the Ministry of Education and Sports of Albania and was the first in a series of informative and educational meetings for pre-university students throughout the country aiming at developing critical thinking on the past to strengthen democratic competences.

*This activity was organised within the Council of Europe project "Strengthening Democratic Citizenship Education in Albania" financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).