As part of the Erasmus+ project BEEP, the project consortium worked intensively on issues of participation and adult education. Together with the partner organisations DAFNI KEK in Greece, Associazione Arcipelago in Italy, EPATV in Portugal, AONTAS in Ireland and VHS Wien in Austria, a comprehensive inventory of citizen participation processes was carried out. Interviews were conducted to find out who is excluded from democratic processes, who is involved and what goals and interests are associated with the term “participation”. Workshops with learners helped to find concrete ways to participate.
The results of this extensive project were presented at the final conference on 18 March 2024 at the VHS Favoriten, 1100 Vienna.
The main theme of the event was strengthening political participation through basic education and empowerment in adult education, but also beyond this at local and national level. The speakers offered insights into innovative approaches to promoting citizen participation and discussed the role of adult education centres in this context.
The event began with introductory words from Stefan Jagsch, Head of Innovation & International Affairs at VHS Vienna. He emphasised the importance of Erasmus+ projects for basic education and stressed the need to strengthen political participation through educational initiatives. Tijana Matić from the Vienna Climate Team then presented new ways of citizen participation for a good climate. She emphasised the importance of bottom-up approaches and showed successful examples of citizen participation at local level using the example of the Vienna Climate Team, which is funded by the City of Vienna. Another important contribution came from John Evers, Secretary General of the Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres. He spoke about empowerment as a central task of political education at adult education centres. He highlighted the role of educational institutions in empowering citizens and emphasised the need to provide resources for civic education programmes.
After the presentations, the project products were presented, including a handbook for trainers with activities and ideas for political participation in adult education, guidelines for stakeholders to promote political participation and recommendations for policy makers. These products serve as practical resources for the promotion of basic education and empowerment in political participation. They are based on comprehensive basic research, which served as a starting point for the next steps in the project. The basic research laid the foundation for understanding the challenges and opportunities in the field of political participation and basic education. It provided important findings that were incorporated into the development of the project products and ensured that they met the needs and requirements of the target group.
During the conference, there was also intensive discussion about how people who have difficulties accessing information can be encouraged to participate. Participants shared different approaches, including working with local organisations to ensure that no one is excluded from participation. A fundamental realisation that emerged during the discussion was that participation should not be forced. Rather, the opportunity to participate should be opened up, without pressure or coercion. It was emphasised that people should be able to raise their voices and participate in political processes if they so wish, and that educational and participatory opportunities should be designed to be accessible to all.
This discussion emphasises the importance of an inclusive and accessible approach to political participation in adult education that aims to reflect the diversity of perspectives and experiences in society and to ensure that every person has the opportunity to actively participate in political processes.
The conference was greatly enriched by the participation of political decision-makers, representatives of NGOs and adult educators. The diversity of perspectives and experiences that these actors brought with them contributed significantly to the discussions and the exchange of experiences.
The online connection of the project partners from Greece, Portugal and Italy was also particularly noteworthy. Despite their physical distance, they were able to actively participate in the conference and contribute their insights and experiences. This underlines the importance of digitalisation for international cooperation and the exchange of knowledge in educational projects.
Overall, the conference was an important step towards promoting citizen engagement in political processes. The approaches and resources presented provide valuable tools for educational and community organisations to strengthen political participation at local and national levels. The presence of policy makers, NGOs, adult educators and international project partners illustrated the broad interest and commitment to the topic of basic education and empowerment for political participation. It became clear that sustainable progress in this area can only be achieved through a joint effort by various stakeholders.
