Rights,Identities and Inclusion: European action programmes as political education [1]

Democracy and a commitment to human rights are key defining features of the European Union. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Europe, living their local realities sometimes based in poverty and unemployment, and subject to racism, inadequate housing and high levels of crime, may not recognise that the European project is, in its intention, inclusive, since an inclusive society is far removed from their actual experience. European transnational education programmes are intended to promote a sense of involvement in European development. In 1997 the European Commission initiated a study to identify features of projects within its transnational education, training and youth programmes which contribute effectively to political education, and in particular to the development of active citizenship among participants. Projects initiated in 18 European countries, including all 15 European Union Member States, were analysed for the quality of information offered, their capacity to provide practice in democratic skills and opportunities for exploring multiple identities, and the extent to which they worked on democratic lines and enabled participants to feel involved. This article reports on the findings of this study, illustrating best practice in education for active citizenship and proposing a framework which might be applied to any programme of political education.