European year of digital citizenship
education 2025

Learn

Learn

Connect

Connect

Engage

Engage

Thrive together

Thrive

Why the year?

The Standing Conference of Ministers of Education of the Council of Europe member states designated the year 2025 as the “European Year of Digital Citizenship Education” at its 26th session on 29 September 2023. This initiative aims to address the urgent need for increased efforts and investment in digital citizenship education to effectively respond to challenges and opportunities that have emerged or been amplified by digital technologies and environment.

 

The European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025 stands as a unique opportunity to enhance the visibility and impact of digital citizenship education and reaffirm its value. This designated year will provide a strategic platform for key stakeholders from the public, private and civil sectors to work together, set common goals and share sense-making practices. It will also provide a concise yet impactful space for measuring achievements and collectively defining a road map for the future of digital citizenship education. Through streamlined efforts, this initiative is expected to propel digital citizenship education forward, ensuring its resilience and effectiveness in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

 

The Council of Europe will deploy an ambitious plan to bring this initiative to life, in particular by organising international events, implementing innovative social media campaigns and working closely with various stakeholders including Ministries of Education, educators, learners, academics, the private and civil sector organisations and youth organisations.

 

This pan-European initiative is open to everyone, with the aim of raising awareness and taking collective action to promote informed and responsible digital citizenship.

Key Goals

The European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025 is pursuing ambitious and structuring objectives. In particular, it will aim to:

Raise awareness of the value of digital citizenship education for citizens: Increase public and stakeholder awareness of the critical role digital citizenship education plays in empowering learners to thrive ethically, responsibly, and effectively in a digitally connected world;

This global approach aims to make 2025 a decisive turning point for digital citizenship education in Europe.

Learn, Connect, Engage, Thrive Together!

#LearnConnectEngageThrive

Digital Citizenship Education

Digital technologies are now omnipresent in our daily lives. They allow us to broaden our perspectives, deepen our understanding of the world and create innovative solutions that can have a positive impact on our society. Thanks to these digital tools, we have the ability to connect, learn and collaborate in ways that were previously unimaginable.

 

In particular, they give us the power to create meaningful connections, to participate actively in community life and to express our ideas with confidence and creatively. These digital tools are transforming the way we interact, engage and contribute to society, making our voice more audible and our impact more immediate.

 

Digital citizenship is an essential key to flourishing in the digital age. It enables individuals to develop an in-depth and critical understanding of technologies, cultivating the skills needed to navigate effectively in this complex environment. By combining ethical values, technical knowledge and a reflective attitude, citizens can not only use these digital tools, but also make the most of them for their personal development and active participation in society. Digital Citizenship Education is the key to mastering our relationship with digital technologies. The Council of Europe has developed an innovative model based on three complementary dimensions:

  1. Being online: Understanding and mastering the mechanisms of communication and interaction in the digital space.
  2. Well-being online: Protecting mental and physical health, managing balance and personal safety in digital environments.
  3. Rights online: Know and assert your rights, respect those of others, and act ethically and responsibly.

The Council of Europe’s concept of digital citizenship education provides a holistic and comprehensive framework to tackle risks and challenges posed by the widespread use of digital technologies including phenomena such as cyberbullying, hate speech and discrimination. This concept aims to equip citizens, particularly young people, with the essential competences (values, attitudes, skills, and knowledge) to navigate the digital world critically, safely and constructively. The aim is to transform passive users into enlightened and responsible digital citizens.

 

Education for digital citizenship is an essential lever for building a more humane and equitable digital society. By training informed and responsible citizens, it helps to create a digital space where respect, diversity and democratic values are at the heart of interactions. This approach aims to empower each individual, giving them the means to contribute actively to the digital transformation while preserving the fundamental principles of justice, dialogue and inclusion.

Criteria for granting the right to use the “European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025” label
  1. The label is granted for member states focal points’ in promoting events / initiatives held within the framework of the “European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025”.
  2. These should raise awareness of the work of the Organisation and its positive impact within member states in the areas of digital citizenship education, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
  3. The events should have a European dimension in the treatment of the chosen subjects (direct relationship with the work, the achievements or the official texts and reports of the Organization) and through the target audience (open to participants or speakers from other Member States). Events / initiatives should be of a significant size and/or visibility (e.g. audience reached, media coverage).
  4. Events / initiatives should respect the principles and values upheld by the Council of Europe and in particular;
    • Political neutrality; the programmatic content and form of the event must guarantee political neutrality and consistency with the values upheld by the Council of Europe.
    • No discrimination; participation in organised events / initiatives is based solely on criteria related to the themes thereof and not on external considerations such as gender, religion, physical appearance, nationality or sexual orientation.
    • Conflicts of interest; any organising body refrains from any conflict between the terms of organization of the event and its private interests or the private interests of its members or stakeholders.
    • Security; any organizing body undertakes to put in place the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the event and to avoid any disturbance to public order.
    • Communication; the use of the label is authorised for the sole purpose of communication relating to the event: there should be no use of the emblem or image of the Council of Europe which could harm the reputation of the Organisation.

The labeling does not give rise to specific funding, the funding necessary for the organization of the event must be secured by the organiser.

If you wish to use the label for publications, we kindly request that you inform the Secretariat of the European Year ([email protected]).

Contact us

Council of Europe

Department of Education
Digital Transformation Unit

Agora Building
1, Quai Jacoutot
67075 Strasbourg Cedex
France