From Citizenship Education to Participation and Social Action Building the

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From Citizenship Education to Participation and
Social ActionBuilding the Citizenship-rich
Society Experience from the UK

• Tony Breslin
• Chief Executive
• Citizenship Foundation
• First International Civil Society Fair
• Nicosia, Cyprus
• Friday May 4th 2007

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• Areas of work
• A leading source of expertise, training and
  advice on Citizenship Education
• A key player in the debate on Citizenship
  Education, providing cutting-edge thinking to
  Government, policy makers and schools
• Experience in delivering Citizenship programmes
  in schools and communities across the UK
• An extensive international programme delivered
  with partners such as the British Council and the
  Council of Europe

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• What do we mean by Citizenship?
• As a brand
• As a status or process
• As a source of personal well-being and community
  cohesion
• In a globalising world
• As conformist or progressive
• As a subject
• As more than a subject
• As a new type of subject
• In the community within and beyond the school

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• Rationales for Citizenship Education
• Getting the vote out
• Addressing the broader democratic deficit
• Challenging social exclusion
• Building community cohesion
• Reconnecting civil and civic politics
• Building a human rights culture
• Supporting teaching across the social, political,
  economic and legal domains
• Addressing the achievement-inclusion tension at
  the heart of the education policy agenda

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• Challenges for citizens of a globalising world
• Increased population movements and community
  turbulence
• A greater interplay between cultures and values
• Multi-country careers and dispersed families and
  friendship networks
• A struggle to retain personal and national
  identity
• An opportunity to genuinely live diversity
• A renewed importance for education and training
  within a lifelong, life wide learning framework

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• The English secondary school curriculum in
  Citizenship
• Developing the knowledge and understanding that
  the student requires to become an informed
  citizen
• Developing skills of enquiry and communication
• Developing skills of participation and
  responsible action
• Developed from a model of Citizenship based on
  the strands of social and moral responsibility,
  political literacy, community involvement and
  (now) identity and diversity

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• Citizenship-rich Schools Curriculum, Culture,
  Community
• A new subject and a new type of subject
• A shift in status less than to more than
• A curriculum subject that is delivered in, and
  beyond, the curriculum
• Multi-disciplinary and multi-delivery in mode
  part of a new subject family
• Effecting the school as a community and in the
  community
• Creative, participative and enterprising,
  multi-agency and multi-site

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• The Citizenship-rich school or college is
  likely to
• Facilitate learner participation in decision
  making at various levels
• Take an inclusive approach to learning that
  recognises the needs of all learners
• Place a special value on parental and community
  involvement
• Operate as a learning community and community
  learning centre
• Be guided by a learner and community centred
  Citizenship Manifesto

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• A Citizenship Manifesto for every school and
  college?
• A clear and public statement of the schools or
  colleges Citizenship values and how these come
  to life
• Produced as a single, jargon-free leaflet,
  setting out entitlements, opportunities,
  partnership principles and aspirations
• Practical and demonstrably achievable
• Produced (and renewed) by teachers, students,
  parents, community leaders and other stakeholders
• Renewed periodically, expressing and renewing
  school or college policy and practice

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Educational programmes, projects and publications

• Citizens Day
• Money, Money, Money
• Giving Nation
• Magistrates Court or Bar National Mock Trial
  Competitions
• Smart Thinking
• Rizer
• Youth Act!
• Understanding Citizenship
• First Friday

• Young Citizens Passport
• CPD provision and support
• National Youth Parliament Competition
• Inside Britain
• Citizenship Manifestos
• National Political Journalism Competition
• Impetus
• Go-Givers

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• If the aim is no less than a change in the
  political culture of (the UK or any other
  society) both nationally and locally for people
  to think of themselves as active citizens,
  willing, able and equipped to have an influence
  in public life (Crick, 1998), education for
  effective citizenship (and, therefore, for
  participation and social action) is a vital part
  of the project
• www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk
• tony.breslin_at_citizenshipfoundation.org.uk