The role of civic and citizenship education for strengthening civic and democratic participation and support for common European values

Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Policymakers, education and training institutions, and educators have a better understanding of the impactful learning, teaching and assessment of citizenship education (underpinned by SSH research and evidence), including formal or formal and non-formal learning.
• Policymakers, education and training institutions, and educators gain a sound understanding of the impact of citizenship education related formal or non-formal learning on young people’s (aged 15-29) civic and democratic engagement (through different forms of community and political engagement), including young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and considering gender-specific barriers and opportunities.
• Policymakers, education and training institutions, and educators gain a sound understanding of effective collaborative mechanisms between different actors in formal and/or non-formal education sectors in delivering effective citizenship education.
• Policymakers, education and training institutions, and educators are more aware of and can roll out competence-based, transformational (fostering critical thinking and personal development) and action-oriented (fostering active civic engagement and democratic participation) pedagogical approaches to citizenship education, including innovative learning methodologies.

Education should equip young people with competences for their personal, social, professional as well as civic engagement and development, enabling them to contribute to our democracies, now and in the future, by shaping active, engaged and creative citizens who are aware of their shared values and able to improve their living environment, as recalled in the 2023 Council conclusions on the contribution of education and training to strengthening common European values and democratic citizenship^[1]. In the current context of growing social concerns and political polarisation, as well as in some cases insufficient engagement of young people in democratic life, we need effective educational and training tools to increase and nurture civic engagement and democratic participation and trust in democratic processes. How can different types of citizenship education (including combining formal education with non-formal or informal learning) increase the level of democratic knowledge, and encourage young people to become more involved in their communities and in democratic decision-making?

This involves developing citizenship competence, in line with the 2018 Council Recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning^[2], and includes, for example, building knowledge and understanding of the European common values, of citizens’ obligations and responsibilities, developing critical thinking in understanding main contemporary events and history, understanding of social and cultural diversities and how national identities contribute to the European identity, an ability and willingness to constructively communicate and engage with others in common or public interest and in decision-making, as well as supporting equality and diversity, culture of peace and non-violence.

The aim of this topic is twofold. First, to understand and enhance – through innovative methodologies tested and measured by successful projects – young people’s civic knowledge (understanding of democratic institutions and processes) and democratic citizenship attitudes, as well as their experiences, willingness, and opportunities to engage in their communities and participate in civic life, fostering a culture of dialogue, democratic debate, and tolerance. Second, to assess the effectiveness of the teaching methods used to promote civic knowledge, attitudes, and engagement, ensuring they contribute to the development of informed and active citizens.

Proposals are expected to consider learning in formal educational settings and can also examine non-formal educational settings (e.g. extra-curricular activities, community service projects, youth clubs etc.). While both formal and non-formal learning are relevant and interesting for the purpose of the topic, they are very different in nature, with some overlap, and would require different research methods and approaches, which can be costly. The focus of research should be on formal education, while research on non-formal education would bring an added value because of the interplay: whether and how formal education actors collaborate with non-formal education actors, for example.

Proposals should address both young people from disadvantaged and from non-disadvantaged backgrounds and should also consider the gendered aspects of young people’s engagement, looking at the different barriers and opportunities for young women and men. Proposals should cover ages 15 to 29.

Proposals should also address the following aspects:

• Design, pilot and test methodologies in formal learning, or in formal and non-formal learning, such as pedagogical approaches on transformational and action-oriented learning, aimed at helping to create critically engaged participants in society, civic learning opportunities, measures related to open classroom climate or student co-creation of education institution related policies and processes (democracy-in-action learning environments). Proposals are encouraged to use mixed methods approaches combining qualitative and quantitative (e.g. small, randomized control trials to test the effectiveness of specific interventions) methods. They may include methodologies for direct youth participation in decisions that concern them, for example in school, sport, cultural activities, public space, any policies in the remit of local administrations. Proposals are expected to pilot innovative methodologies, and not simply to test existing protocols. They are encouraged to include young people in the design of these innovative methodologies and may develop digital gamified pedagogical tools.
• Produce step-by-step explanations for education and training institutions, educators, national education authorities, and policymakers to roll out innovative methodologies in formal and possibly also non-formal learning, designed to create positive effects on levels of civic engagement, a culture of democratic debate, tolerance, and understanding of democratic institutions and processes. To help improve the supply and quality of democratic citizenship education, proposals are expected to develop guidelines on methodology, content and teacher training, a toolbox of pedagogical materials for teachers, and assessment tools to help identify implementation gaps.

The proposed research should also examine what educational tools and approaches need to be in place in formal, or formal and non-formal education, to equip young people for constructive participation in democratic decision-making, understanding of social and cultural diversity, readiness to support inclusive societies, and peaceful conflict resolution. Proposals may also devise (and run) ways to measure the extent to which extending the right to vote to young people aged 16 and 17 has increased their political participation (e.g. voting in elections), and what specific awareness-raising educational accompanying measures were put in place, in those countries where such measures have recently been put in place, focusing on the varying effects across different genders and intersectional demographics.

Proposals may also study where existing models and practices of civic and citizenship education may have failed (could have a negative impact or are simply insufficient) and led to a paucity of civic engagement, and a culture of polarisation rather than debate. This could include, for example, an analysis of large-scale assessments of young people's knowledge and understanding of concepts and issues related to civics and citizenship, in order to build on previous findings in the tested methodologies.

For their contributions to the outcomes of this topic to be successful, applicants must include in their consortia public authorities with the capacity to roll out curricula or institutions in charge of teacher education and training, and/or education and training institutions, in order to better understand the realities faced by those with the capacity to implement the project’s findings and design adapted pilots and methodologies, and to facilitate the roll-out of the methodologies successfully tested by the project. There must also be active engagement of civil society in projects as partners, e.g. youth clubs, sports clubs, community projects, or arts and culture organisations. Testing and innovation work packages should be led or co-led by public authorities with the authority to roll out curricula or education methodologies, and/or education and training institutions, and/or educators in formal and non-formal learning.

Proposals should detail how they will develop close involvement of education bodies and practitioners in the field of democracy promotion, and in particular those involved in relevant projects that received support from other EU programmes, e.g. Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, CERV, or Global Europe. Proposals should explain how they will establish connections, find synergies, and build on the work of projects funded under previous Horizon Europe Calls as, for instance:

HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-04: Education for democracy; HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-08: Culture, the arts, and cultural spaces for democratic participation and political expression, online and offline; HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-02-01: Network for innovative solutions for the future of democracy; HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-03: The impact of inequalities on democracy; HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-08: Representative democracy in flux; and HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-02: The future of democracy and civic participation.

[1] Council conclusions on the contribution of education and training to strengthening common European values and democratic citizenship

[2] Council Recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning