AKA Active Citizens project – The Final Conference
The Final AKA Conference took place on the 16 October 2024 at the EESC premises, with the AKA Active Citizens project partners and representatives participating from diverse Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders.
The AKA Conference began with welcoming remarks and an introduction to the AKA Active Citizens project. Elisa Gambardella, Education and Lifelong Learning Coordinator highlighted the importance of why a methodology is needed for Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and explained how this was addressed during the project life span through different activities and workshops implemented by the project partners in 8 European countries. She also emphasised the important role of the project partners in addressing a different structural challenge in their society while aiming to achieve comparable results for a common methodology and addressing the same target group through various workshops and dialogue with local policymakers. In addition, Elisa also gave an overview of the impact of the project which was achieved over the course of 2 years by involving 500+ young people in the activities, engaging in dialogue with more than 12 policymakers in 8 countries and reaching a broader audience through different communication activities.
Following the welcoming remarks and introduction to the AKA Project, Nicola Pondi, ARCI, AKA Project Partner shared his and ARCI colleagues’ experiences from the activities they organised with youth in Fusignano, a town in northern Italy. He highlighted how the GCE methodologies helped participants to learn about urbanisation and environmental activism, identify the issues in the area and develop solutions in an inclusive space and through action oriented activities. He added that by discussing the issues in groups and working together towards common goals, the participants felt empowered to take an active role in the project and developed a sense of responsibility. He concluded that having the opportunity to engage with the local policy makers was also empowering experience for the participants as well.
Lana Jurman, Coordinator of the Education and Empowerment for Social Change programme, Centre for Peace Studies reflected on the importance of GCE, highlighting its transformative power not only at an individual level but also in addressing societal injustices. She emphasized that GCE fosters critical thinking and encourages learners, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds, to become agents of social change. She emphasised that by making education accessible to all, regardless of background, GCE enables young people to engage actively in political, social, and cultural environments, promoting inclusive participation in decision-making processes.
Launch of the AKA Booklet: Methodologies for Fostering Social Action and Democratic Engagement
The conference was followed by the launch of the AKA Booklet: Methodologies for Fostering Social Action and Democratic Engagement, presented by Hilmi Tekoglu, Civic Space Policy Officer, SOLIDAR. The booklet serves as a practical tool for partitioners and educators to promote transformative learning by providing accessible and effective methodologies that have been implemented in 8 countries with the aim of empowering young people, particularly from marginalised communities to engage meaningfully in democratic processes.
The presentation of the booklet was followed with an interactive session moderated by Helena Schimitz and Luana Costa, Diaspora Sem Fronteiras, AKA project partners. They tested one of the methodologies in the booklet called “The Concentric Circles Approach” with the participants. The aim of this session was to show the participants how the methods in the booklet could be used in practice.
The Policy Roundtable: How to further promote GCE across Europe?
The conference also welcomed CSO representatives and EU level policy makers for a closing dialogue with the participants in the room. During this policy roundtable participants shared their input and questions with the speakers, including:
- MEP, Emma RAFOWICZ, Vice Chair, CULT Committee
- Pietro Barbieri, Vice-President of the EESC Civil Society Organisations’ Group, rapporteur of the opinion “Strengthening civil dialogue and participatory democracy in the EU: a path forward”
- Iris Kimizoglu, President of the European Students Unions (ESU)
- Paola Berbeglia, CONCORD member, CONCORD Italy
During the policy roundtable, speakers reflected on the importance of further promoting the GCE and developing concrete policies to systematically implement the GCE and ensure access to it for all. Speakers also stressed that civil society should be the key partner in developing such policies.
This conference was organised in the framework of the AKA-Active Citizens project, supported by the European Union.
