Political education
Democracy can not exist without active and conscious citizens. To be an active citizen means to be able to exercise one’s social rights and take responsibility for the community and society you belong to. It also means to be able to influence decision making processes, which affect citizens, community and society. To be a conscious citizen means to understand the social and political reality, to form own opinions critically and to understand political processes in the modern democratic systems.
Political education is an activity, the main goal of which is to achieve the largest numbers of citizens, who understand political processes, independently and critically shape their own opinions and they are prepared for public activity.
Have a look at our practical handbook about new media and political education
We do both: media and political education
When we try to define political education we can refer to German school, which points out such elements as: planning, organization, goal oriented activities, specific dydactic methods, continuity, different target groups, socio-political educational centers.
Political education is “a common term for all intended and organized undertakings with an aim to explain rationally political reality and to equip people with certain competences. Those competences can give a citizen a better understanding in the political sphere”.
In the focus of other definition is the following content of political education as history, political institutions, social structures, democracy as a system of government, the value of family and marriage but also xenophobia, racism, radical movements, unemployment or social exclusion. The spectrum of topics to learn is quite wide, but it changes with the development and processes in the modern society.
Political education, which is conscious, can only take place in the institutions, which are especially ment for it. Those are schools, high education and non-formal educational institutions. The learning process can be conducted by the NGOs, trade unions, political parties, political foundations, think tanks and academies. The education has such forms as seminars, conferences, forums, workshops or specially organised academy programmes with a regular character. Moreover the publication of books, didactical materials and analytical articles.
Read more about political education in Europe - article by Michal Wojcik
Let’s debate
This project was an initiative to encourage and qualify citizens to use digital media for promoting citizens participation and active citizenship. We have implemented this project in 2008 and 2009. Read more about the project.
