Process of awareness in Czech Republic

Alice Klikova is a university professor in Prague where she teaches philosophy for social science students. She does not agree with the traditional way of teaching philosophy, because a lot of students only study in order to obtain their exams, not for their personal learning which she thinks is the important thing. Therefore she tries to have a discussion with the students and make them think them-selves by posing them questions. It is necessary to teach the philosophy in a way that is interesting for the students. Klikova says that in Czech Republic, like in many other countries, many people is satisfied to lead their own quiet life with their apartment and car, and do not care what is happening around them. They do not want to know about or see the problems existing in the society and the world. Klikova is trying to fight against this general ignorance in the society through an association of intellectuals called "Impuls 99". It was created as the name indicate in 1999 and was meant as an alternative to the political parties, so people who were not agree with any of the parties could still do politics in a different way. They have no intention to participate in elections but they believe they can still do a lot by making pressure on the politicians. "Impuls 99" is mostly working with problems inside the Czech Republic but also problems concerning the future of the Republic, like the integration in the European Union. The association is not trying to have a lot of members, so they are therefore only 20 members, who all are in the general committee. Several of the members are know in Czech republic outside the association as intellectuals and philosophers. Alice Klikova is a representative for the young in the association and is one of its three tales men. Their job is to tell about the association and their ideas to as many as possible in order to wake of the citizens. They participate in discussions on television and radio, and they are writing several articles. The civil society in Czech Republic does practically not exist; everyone is only occupied with them-selves and theirs. Therefore there is no pressure on the politicians and the government, and they are more and less free to do what they want. It is hard to measure the results of their work and actions, because they are not direct or quantitative. But is a growing tendency now that the citizens are getting aware of problems with the citizenship and in the society. The association has also managed to influence the process of the integration of the Czech Republic into the European Union. An example of this influence is the adaptation of Czech laws to the requirements of the EU. Many of the Czech deputies did not care very much about the laws that had to be voted, but individuals were coming by their own interest in order to supervise and make pressure on the deputies. This was something completely new for the deputies and the government. It shows that the efforts made by the association in order to "wake up" the citizens have worked.