Union of Rights and Values

Spis treści

Instruction

Duration:

45–60 minutes

Suggestion:

Advanced task, recommended for upper secondary students with an interest in the topic.

Objectives
  • The student knows the fundamental rights and values enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and understands their significance for EU citizens.
  • The student can identify which rights from the Charter are particularly important for different social groups (e.g., people with disabilities, children, the elderly, citizens working abroad).
  • The student recognizes the connection between fundamental rights and everyday life and explains how European Union law protects individual rights and freedoms.

  • The student analyzes and evaluates whether the Charter of Fundamental Rights addresses contemporary social needs and proposes potential additions to the catalog of rights.

WARM-UP

At the beginning, ask students which legal acts in the EU protect their rights and freedoms. This task aims to check whether the Charter of Fundamental Rights is mentioned among the acts.

Provide the class with the Charter of Fundamental Rights – you can either print it out or share links to the EU legal database.

Play a short VIDEO for the class that answers the following questions:

  1. What is the Charter of Fundamental Rights?
  2. When was the Charter of Fundamental Rights established?
  3. Why was the Charter of Fundamental Rights created?
  4. Does the Charter of Fundamental Rights apply in Poland?
  5. What significance does the Charter of Fundamental Rights have for us?
  6. Is it the only such act in Europe?

Introductory task

Ask the participants:

  • Did you know before that there is an act called the Charter of Fundamental Rights?

  • What do you think about the Charter of Fundamental Rights after reading it?

  • What kind of language is it written in? Is it difficult to understand? Is it clear for everyone?

  • Does it seem important to you?

KNOWLEDGE ZONE

Divide the class into 4 groups and ask them, after reviewing the Charter of Fundamental Rights, to list the rights they think are:

Group I – particularly important for people with disabilities;

Group II – particularly important for Polish citizens living and working in another EU country;

Group III – particularly important for children;

Group IV – particularly important for elderly people.

Ask each group to present their answers.

EXERCISE

Next, depending on the available time, we suggest carrying out one of the following tasks:

Task 1:

After comparing the answers, ask the students to create a catalog of the rights from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights that are most important to them.

You can also ask whether, in the students’ opinion, there are any rights missing from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. What could be the consequences of such omissions?

Task 2:

Discuss together whether there are any rights missing from the Charter. If participants do not have their own ideas, you can ask:

  • What do you think about adding the right to a clean environment to the Charter of Fundamental Rights?
  • What do you think about adding a prohibition on spreading disinformation to the Charter of Fundamental Rights?

You can also divide the class into two groups and hold an Oxford-style debate:

  • One team prepares arguments in favor of adding the right to a clean environment to the Charter of Fundamental Rights; The other team argues against this idea.
  • Similarly, you can do this with other rights or prohibitions, e.g., a ban on spreading disinformation.

REFLECTIONS AND SUMMARY

At the end of the lesson, ask students to briefly reflect on the role of fundamental rights in their daily lives and in European society. You can ask the following questions:

  • After today’s lesson, do you better understand how fundamental rights protect citizens of the European Union?
  • What challenges does the protection of fundamental rights face in Europe today? What role can each of us play in promoting and defending these rights?

ADDITIONAL TASK

You can also ask students what else they would like to learn about the European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Suggest that students share this information with us – it will greatly help us in preparing future content!

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