Citizenship and Popular Education for Democratic Participation
SOLIDAR Foundation strives to be a learning house to support civil society organisations, trade unions and progressive movements among others in developing the tools and competences needed to reclaim Europe’s future and to ensure that all are empowered to participate in society while promoting equal opportunities for all. The altered civic space for non-formal and informal education requires a rethinking of how we prioritise global citizenship education and progressive education to make sure we also tackle Europe’s realities. SOLIDAR Foundation will ensure that this forms part of the initiatives associated with the European Education Area, the Digital Education Action Plan, the EPSR and the Skills Agenda, as well as the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Nobody can be left behind if the planet is to be saved and if Europe is to stay true to its founding values. All must have equal opportunities for lifelong and life-wide learning to be included in a sustainable society. Many disadvantaged and precarious workers lack the skills and competences needed to be part of it, and the education system is not preparing the younger generations to sustainable socio-economic development.
Tackling these challenges, representing and supporting organisations that step in where society fails by offering global citizenship education, workers’ and popular education, digital citizenship education is the focus and the purpose of the new strategy for SOLIDAR Foundation.
Lifelong and life-wide learning lifts us from all types of poverty, material and not, and frees us. Education does not only belong to the formal setting; it has a place as one of the cornerstones of a democratic society and as such it also belongs to non-formal and informal education too. The work of SOLIDAR Foundation for progressive education and citizen’s participation is for them.
