ACTIVE LEARNING FOR ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

Emerging Findings

ALAC in Summary

• ‘Hubs’ in West Midlands, South Yorkshire, South West, Manchester, Lincoln, London and the North East, building local partnerships to deliver ALAC to individuals, activists, groups and communities including:

• Women / BME women, people with disabilities, carers, migrant workers, asylum seekers, white working class communities

Differing definitions and approaches to citizenship as:

• personal responsibilities and rights

• participatory citizenship - civic engagement

• AND citizenship for social justice - citizenship as political literacy, strengthening civil society, promoting social solidarity

• ‘working both sides of the equation’locally, nationally, internationally/ locally/globally

Differing participatory methods and approaches with experiential

learning, including:

• courses offering accreditation and progression

• tailored programmes of study

• one-off workshops and seminars

• mentoring and co-tutoring

Identifying and reaching target audiences

• building upon networks and relationships of trust

• outreach on an on-going basis

• negotiating the learning AND negotiating ways of addressing key barriers including the need for childcare, accesible venues, transport costs and flexible hours (taking account of shift working)

Curricula framework rather than Core Curriculum?

• participatory, negotiated learning AND

• experiential learning from active citizenship

• delivered in a variety of methods

• to a wide variety of learners at

• varying levels

Learning frameworks for accreditation and progression

including

• accredited community leadership courses

• Access to further and higher education

• OCN

• RARPA

Looking forwards

• Ensuring SPACE (Safe Political Active Community Education Spaces)

• developing the links between the local and the global

• Sustainability? Whose responsibility?

Challenges for Evaluation

• evaluating the impact on individuals and their families

• evaluating the impact on service delivery and decision-making processes - strengthening effective civic engagement

• evaluating the impact within and between organisations and groups - strengthening civil society, justice orientated citizenship?