Active-citizenship education motivates young people

Citation

(2005), "Active-citizenship education motivates young people", Education + Training, Vol. 47 No. 4/5. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2005.00447dab.008

Active-citizenship education motivates young people

A citizenship-education programme for 16-19 year olds has been praised for its success in motivating young people to play an active role in their communities. An evaluation report, based on research by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), highlights the programme’s “political literacy in action” approach and its achievements in inspiring young people to get involved in national and local politics.

The post-16 citizenship-development programme, run by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), was set up in 2001 by the Department for Education and Skills as a pilot scheme to discover the best ways of delivering citizenship education at 16-plus. Now, in its third year, some 17,000 young people in school sixth forms, colleges, youth organisations and on work-based training schemes are involved in the programme, which is run through local partnerships. Its distinctive features are experiential learning and education through action, rather than simply the acquisition of knowledge about politics and government.

The report states: “All those involved feel strongly that the distinctive nature of these pilot projects – their ability to develop self-confidence and empower young people – must be safeguarded and strengthened. It is important that these elements remain an important part of the 14-19 curriculum and the ethos of citizenship is maintained.” It recommends “that citizenship should be an entitlement for all young people aged 16-19 and that they should be given effective opportunities to participate in activities relevant to the development of their citizenship skills”.

The report sets out the key features of successful citizenship projects:

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  a focus on practical action rather than simply acquiring political knowledge;

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  the involvement of young people in decisions about their education and the fostering of a “student voice”;

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  dedicated and enthusiastic staff – citizenship “champions” to promote the importance of citizenship – and adequate resources; and

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  a clear definition of what citizenship means.

Bernadette Joslin, LSDA manager for the programme, commented: “This report is timely, given the burgeoning interest in citizenship education and the scanty knowledge of politics displayed by recent polls of young people. What we have discovered is that citizenship education can really galvanise young people into becoming activists in a positive way, through the democratic process. Publicising schemes like this can help to show the value that they can contribute to society.”

The report recommends a campaign to communicate the ethos of citizenship education at 16-plus.

Taking Post-16 Citizenship Forward: Learning from the Post-16 Citizenship Development Projects is available from the LSDA citizenship project team. Contact Helen Lim on hlim@LSDA.org.uk