The idea of competences provides a useful way of integrating the three areas of knowledge, skills and attitudes, and describing sets of complex capabilities.

A competence describes what someone knows, understands and is able to do, including psychologically. This means that competences also embrace values and attitudes – in other words, they include not only what a person is technically capable of doing, but also what they might be willing to do.

The Council of Europe has developed a ground-breaking set of competences to help teach young people how to live together as democratic citizens in diverse societies. The competences are not about teaching students what to think, but rather how to be able to navigate a world where people have different priorities and different opinions, and where everyone has a responsibility to support and promote the democratic principles which allow cultures to co-exist.

The framework allowsember states to adapt the competences themselves to suit their own needs and educational system and the distinct cultural contours of their own societies. The competences are particularly relevant to human rights education, not only because democracy is a human right in itself, but also because democracy is the overarching system of government in which human rights can best be protected.

Read more about the project "Competences for Democratic Culture" >>

The competences are organised into four broad categories:

Values

  • Valuing human dignity and human rights
  • Valuing cultural diversity
  • Valuing democracy, justice, fairness, equality and the rule of law

Attitudes

  • Openness to cultural otherness and to other beliefs, world views and practices
  • Respect
  • Civic-mindedness
  • Responsibility
  • Self-efficacy
  • Tolerance of ambiguity

Skills

  • Autonomous learning skills
  • Analytical and critical thinking skills
  • Listening and observing
  • Empathy
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Linguistic and communicative
  • Co-operation skills
  • Conflict-resolution skills

Knowledge and critical understanding

  • Knowledge and critical understanding of the self
  • Knowledge and critical understanding of language and communication
  • Knowledge and critical understanding of the world: politics, law, human rights, cultures, religions, history, media, economies, environment, sustainability