"The project consortium of ""Practicing Democracy - Betzavta Training Courses"" consists of the coordinator, Kreisau-Initiative, with six partner organizations from Croatia, Denmark, Poland, Romania, Spain and Great Britain. These organizations represent the many shades of democracy that exist across Europe, each country coming with its own challenges in how to create change in that society. Each of the partner organization sends three participants, to guarantee an intense learning experience. In total, there will be 21 participants, representing different countries, different backgrounds, religions, socio-economic levels and different educational needs. They will range in age and professional background, in order to create a diverse, as well as gender-balanced group. The two trainings take the concepts and principles of democracy and give a new relevance to it by applying these concepts to the workings of a small group. Instead of only talking about the theories of equality, freedom, inclusion, the method lets participants reflect on whether their actions reflect their theories. Through interactive activities combined with reflection sessions, participants gain a deeper understanding of themselves and a greater awareness of their effect on others. They learn to recognize their own needs and how to express these needs in a group, as well as what to do when there are conflicting needs in a group. Through a given conflict management strategy, participants learn to deal with conflict through a reflection and awareness of the a decision making process. The ultimate goal is the recognition that while one person’s freedom can step over another’s, every individual has an equal right to freedom. This goal is achieved through an experiential learning process, shaped by the naturally existing dynamics of the group. In a second step the participants learn how to use the Betzavta methodology in their own working contexts. The facilitate one activity together with a colleague. Afterwards they receive a peer review and a feedback from the trainers. The result, in the short and longer term, is a greater sense of responsibility that comes from the bottom-up. Instead of being told what to do or simply following rules, participants begin to take initiative in their actions in order to create the kind of society that they want to live in."