Advancing Teachers’ Pedagogical and Didactic Skills for Civic Education in General Education

Dr D. Jovarauskienė is a researcher at Kaunas University of Technology, investigating public administration, public finance, and health care system management processes. She holds a PhD in social sciences, having defended her dissertation on the financing and resource collection efficiency of the health care system. Her research focuses on public service quality, organizational management efficiency, taxpayer behaviour, and the development of science and education based on future competences. She analyses how ethical, economic, and managerial factors influence the performance of public sector institutions, including educational establishments, and citizens’ trust in them. Through participation in research and education development projects, she explores the links between science, innovation, and public policy, identifying opportunities to strengthen these areas, which are essential for modern schools to operate responsibly and sustainably in a changing environment.

J. Vaičiūnienė is an expert in the field of public administration, examining the development of local democracy &civil society, local governance processes, community development, migration, sustainable public procurement practices, citizen science, & social policy. She is the Head of the Municipal Training Centre at Kaunas University of Technology and Visiting Professor of Practice in the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management at the University of Central Florida. Jolanta has implemented numerous projects that have contributed to strengthening the capacities of Lithuanian municipalities and other public sector institutions. She has also shared her expertise with community&NGO leaders as well as students in various European & post-Soviet countries. She is a member of the research group “Civil Society and Sustainability” at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and a co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan book series Rethinking University & Community Policy Connections.

Dr. Antti Laherto is a Doctor of Education, Senior Lecturer at the University of Helsinki, and Visiting Professor at the University of Bologna (Italy) and Kaunas university of Technology. His areas of expertise are science and technology education, teaching, and science communication. Antti conducts research in these areas in primary and secondary schools, teacher education programs, and informal learning environments. In his recent research, Prof. Lahert links science education with agency, future-oriented thinking skills, and the Sustainable Development Education model. He is interested in scientific and technological literacy, public engagement in science and innovation, nanotechnology development, and climate change mitigation.

Prof Dr Eglė Vaidelytė is a Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at Kaunas University of Technology and a member of the research group “Civil Society and Sustainability”. She also serves as the national representative in the Directors of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration (DISPA) network and is a member of the Research Ethics Committee of the Research Council of Lithuania. Her areas of expertise include public governance issues related to corruption, ethics and values in the public sector, migration, and cooperation between government and civil society. Over the past decade, Prof Vaidelytė has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses on ethics, values, and corruption prevention in the public sector. Since 2023, she has been participating in the National Agency for Education–funded project “Strengthening Teachers’ Competences in National Professional Development Programmes and Master’s Studies”.

Dr. Snieguolė Matulienė, professor at Mykolas Romeris University's Public Security Academy, conducts research on public security and criminology. She is also the vice-chair of the Senate of Mykolas Romeris University.

Prof Dr E. Butkevičienė is a researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, Kaunas University of Technology, and Chair of the Program Committee for Political Science, Sociology, and Public Administration studies. Her research focuses on civil society, social innovations, citizen science, civic engagement, social entrepreneurship, community development, social inclusion, environmental activism, and the social impact of networks and technologies. She is also a visiting professor at the University of Central Florida, where she lectures and conducts research on civil society, civic participation, social innovations, citizen science, social entrepreneurship, community development, and social inclusion. She leads a project promoting citizen participation in scientific activities and coordinates the Master’s programme “Strengthening Teachers’ Competences in National Professional Development Programmes and Master’s Studies” (2023–2026).

Dr R. Pučėtaitė is a Professor and Head of the “Public Governance Studies” research group, specialising in ethical management, leadership, and organisational ethics processes and their impact on performance. She integrates her research into training programmes and management practice recommendations. From 2002 to 2004, she worked as an English teacher at Rokai Secondary School. From 2021 to 2024, she led the Horizon 2020 project YOUCOUNT, testing in Panevėžys district schools whether citizen science strengthens community belonging. She currently implements the Erasmus+ Teacher’s Academy project FedoraS Academy, collaborating with teachers in Italy, Spain, Finland and Norway to test materials for open-school networks and sustainability competences in secondary education.

Ainius Lašas is a political scientist, academic, and higher education leader who currently serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at Kaunas University of Technology. His scholarly interests encompass political science, political psychology, and political culture. Dr Lašas examines topics related to democracy, political culture, international relations, and historical memory, and explores issues such as threat perception, conspiracy theories, and the impact of informal networks between business and political actors on institutional functioning. In addition to his academic work, Dr Lašas actively contributes to the professional development of teachers and collaborates closely with schools. He delivers lectures and workshops for pupils, aimed at fostering critical thinking, civic engagement, and personal growth.

P. Klikūnas is a versatile professional combining expertise in technology, law, and social sciences. He holds degrees in IT engineering and law and is currently pursuing political science studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, Kaunas University of Technology. He has over 15 years of experience in law enforcement, handling complex organized crime and corruption cases, and served in the EU Advisory Mission in Ukraine (EUAM), contributing to security sector reforms. For a decade, he led the youth organization “Baltai Juoda” and organized Lithuania’s first civic games, promoting youth civic engagement. A former young rifleman and volunteer soldier, he has extensive experience working with youth, particularly encouraging minors’ participation in civic and patriotic activities, which he applies in education, focusing on practical civic education and youth involvement in public life.

Th. Bryer is a Pegasus Professor of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida in the United States and professor at Kaunas University of Technology in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities. His research and teaching focuses on citizen participation and collaborative governance, ultimately asking: how can we design institutions to enable stronger, more civically healthy communities? He has worked at the University of Central Florida since 2007, after completing his PhD from the University of Southern California. He has published ten books, including Poor Participation: Fighting the Wars on Poverty and Impoverished Citizenship, Citizenship and Ethics, Handbook of Theories of Public Administration and Management, and Integrating Community Engagement in Public Affairs Education: Solutions for Professors Working in Divisive Environments. See his website: https://professorvolunteercollaborator.org/

Danguolė Seniutienė is a lecturer and Vice-Dean at the Public Security Academy of Mykolas Romeris University and has served as the national coordinator of the Joint Master’s Programme in Strategic Border Management since 2018. She teaches migration law, border security, and public security policy, contributing to the development of students’ and officers’ professional competencies. She actively engages with school communities, promoting discussions on national security and citizenship. Her research interests include irregular migration, hybrid threats, international law, and security policy. D. Seniutienė develops training programmes and methodological guidelines, collaborates with education and public security institutions, and contributes to initiatives aimed at strengthening teachers’ competencies.

Dr M. Bileišis is the Dean of the Public Security Academy at Mykolas Romeris University, specialising in defence, public security, and public sector management. He has published over 20 academic works. From 2019 to 2024, he served as Vice-Rector at the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania and has been a visiting lecturer at the Baltic Defence College and the Royal Military Academy of Belgium. He contributed to the development of the Defence Studies and Public Security Studies fields and is Lithuania’s representative for the EU sectoral qualifications framework for military officers. He is also a member of the NATO DEEP working group on defence resource management. Since 2025, he has chaired the Management Board of the European Joint Master’s Programme in Strategic Border Management under Frontex and previously (2015–2016) led the Strategic Management module and taught in the programme.