Citizenship Education
For Youth
Souhir Chaari –
Tunisia
What do we mean by « Citizenship
Education » ?
Be an active
Citizen
Participate
Decisionmaking
Be
responsible
Rights & Duties
Contribute
How to
Through:
(Formal, non-formal & informal) Learning:
Laws
—  Rule of law
—  Democratic process
—  Human rights
—  Justice, equality, freedoms
—  Diversity, openness
—  Economy and sustainable development
—
“ Citizenship education can
be defined as educating
children, from early
childhood, to become clearthinking and enlightened
citizens who participate in
decisions concerning
society ”
UNESCO
“ Citizenship education is about
enabling people to make their own
decisions and to take
responsibility for their own lives
and their communities.
It is not about trying to fit
everyone into the same mold, or
about creating 'model' or 'good'
citizens”
Citizenship Foundation
Citizenship Education must be:
—  Active
—  Interactive:
discussion and debate
—  Relevant: real-life issues facing young
people and society
—  Critical
—  collaborative: employs group work and
co-operative learning
—  participative: gives young people a say
in their own learning.
Ø Democracies need
active,
informed and responsible citizens;
citizens who are willing and able to
take responsibility for themselves
and their communities and contribute
to the political process.
Important for everybody
Essential for
Youth
—  Youth
—
are the future
We need them to:
Ø respect Human Rights
Ø be democratic
Ø be just
Ø be responsible
Ø be self- confident in dealing with life
changes and challenges
Ø express themselves
Ø make a positive change
Citizenship Education
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Germany
—  The
development of CE began in 1945:
The end of the National Socialist regime
—  The
challenge: the democratization of
Germany: democracy is not only a form of
government but also a way of life
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Germany
—
In its initial phase of emergence, CE was derived from
the closely related fields of education and political
science and it took until 1960’s for the discipline to
expand into a ‘didactics of citizenship education’: an
independent discipline
Ø  In
the 1970’s, # conceptions of CE led to polarized
ideologies.
Ø  Experts were split into 2 camps:
1-CE goal: help citizens make rational judgments
2-CE goal: teach citizens how to emancipate themselves from
those who might seek to seize power
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Germany
CE is firmly integrated in Germany’s
educational landscape.
—  CE in schools falls under the cultural
authority of the German Lander: its
importance as a subject varies from
federal state to another.
—  It exists as a pedagogical principle at all
Germany’s varied educational facilities
and at every level of education.
—
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Germany:
—  CE
classes can be called: ‘politics’,
‘community studies’, ‘social studies’,
‘societal studies’, ‘historical-social
world studies’, ‘civic education’, ‘social
science’ or ‘political science/
economics’.
—  Outside
the classroom: activities
sponsored by state and social
authorities.
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Germany
—
State sponsored activities include civil &
army service, working in adult education
centers, at memorial sites or in the Federal or
State Agencies for civic education.
—
Non-formal citizenship education: rightwing extremism/racism, learning democracy,
migration/integration, violence prevention/
conflict resolution and gender mainstreaming
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Germany
—  These
extracurricular activities are
supported / financed by political parties,
unions, trade associations,
foundations, religious and spiritual
communities, the media, academies,
independent institutions.
Citizenship Education
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Tunisia
•
After 23 years of dictatorship, it was
time for the new generation to put an
end to abuse, discrimination,
marginalization, violations, exclusion,
unemployment and passiveness.
•
The hope line started with the 2011
revolution: An explosion of the
Tunisian Civil Society
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Tunisia
—
A new legal framework guaranteeing
freedom of association has given life to
new associations.
—
Citizenship Education : face the political,
social and economic challenges !
—
It was time for youth – youth upraising - to
set up a democratic society, new democratic
institutions and a real decentralization of
powers and wealth: we were searching for
effectiveness and integration
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Tunisia
—
The European experience and contribution
had a very big impact on what we have
already achieved: several partnerships,
technical and financial help…
I-Projects with the Tunisian government:
Project youth & citizenship:
The ministry of Education and the international
organization IRIS: September 2012 – elections
v
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Tunisia
v The
creation of Citizenship & human
rights clubs inside the schools: 24 clubs
in 7 regions – 2013 : The Arab Institute for
Human Rights, 6 UN agencies, the Tunisian
government and some Tunisian NGOs
v Project
‘Citizenship Education for pupils
in the secondary education’: September
2013: The Tunisian government and the
ERIS, the Electoral Reform International
Services
Citizenship Education for Youth in
Tunisia
II- Projects realized by Tunisian NGOs:
v Citizenship
Bus project (5 NGOs):
2011-2013: trainings for civil society
activists: Constitutional vigilance, elections,
HR, democracy,…
v Ambulant
Cinema for citizens: ATAC:
2013-2014- Tunisian Association for Cultural
Movements: Sidi Bouzid, Mazouna, Jebeniana
Thank you
for your attention!