UNDP/NEC conducts Civic Education Module in Liberia

With financial support provided by Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), a team of UNDP/NEC facilitators conducted a BRIDGE Civic Education Module on 21-23 August at Golden Gate Hotel. This workshop is a continuation of the BRIDGE project which commenced in Liberia in 2012 for the newly appointed employees of the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia.

Currently NEC aims to extend the democratization process in Liberia, with specific emphasis on institutional sustainability, strengthening capacity of the electoral management body, as well as enhancing electoral processes. Realizing the importance of NEC current strategies for reforming the civic education section, a team of facilitators selected key topics exploring the different types of civic education programs and considering the program elements of preparation, design, planning, implementation and most importantly monitoring/evaluation.

The Civic Education Module was conducted for NEC HQ civic education section staff and assistant magistrates using BRIDGE methodology and content. The course agenda was customized and facilitators adapted materials to suit the specific strategic needs and objectives of the Liberian election staff. The topics covered in the workshop were:

• Why civic education?
• Importance of Participation
• Principles of Civic Education Programs
• Eight Steps to Civic Education
• Understanding Learners
• Assessing Available Resources: Introduction
• Selecting Objectives
• Design Process
• Monitoring and Evaluating Your Program
• Monitoring and Evaluating Your Program: Factors for Success

Participants’ evaluations were unanimously positive. They made comments on the need for improvements in terms of facilitation and course agenda too. However, it was stated that they found the workshop extremely useful and enjoyable which established positive and encouraging environment for participation.

The facilitators were:
• James Wallace, NEC Head of training section (Fully accredited);
• Emma Kpene Togba, NEC Head of civic education section (Fully Accredited);
• Daniel Gegbeson, NEC training officer (Fully Accredited);
• George Baratashvili, UNDP technical advisor (Fully Accredited).