AEGEE Election Obervation Training Review
Ben Jones, trainer at the AEGEE Election Observation Training (1-6 October 2015 in Köln, Germany), reflects on his experience.
Many of us claim to value democracy. For those of us who take action to live up to our values, is there anything other than voting we can do to uphold this virtuous commitment? Last week in Cologne, a group of 20 young Europeans came together to explore whether election observation might provide some sort of meaningful answer to this crucially important question.
We started by exploring election observation from three distinct perspectives. Thomas offered insights on the philosophical basis for upholding democratic norms, Claus illuminated the legal basis for election observation, and I explored the inherently political character of election observation. Each of us did so in a way that tried to encourage critical reflection on the practice.
Trainers team
Having established and explored the broader context of election observation, we moved from theory to practice with the insights of three trainers with exhaustive field experience in elections. Ivana and Natalia drew on their experiences working with such high-calibre organisations as the OSCE and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to train participants on how to be good observers. Lina brought her characteristic innovativeness to the training by offering participants to apply all they had learnt by setting up a practice election observation in a mock polling station.
The utility of the skills of team working and critical thinking encouraged during the training goes above and beyond the realm of election observation, whilst the friendships made and experiences shared between participant and trainer alike made the training a particularly special experience.
As for what I myself gained from the training? In my professional capacity, I concluded the training with a renewed faith in why I do what I do. In my personal capacity, I concluded the training with the warm satisfaction of knowing I had found fantastic friendships which I will continue to treasure for years to come. To all participants, trainers and to Election Observation Project – thank you, and here’s to next time.