Civic Education as Preventive Measure and Inclusionary Practice

D10.3 Interactive Toolkit November 2023

Abstract

In the framework of the D.Rad project, WP10 – entitled Civic education as preventive measure and inclusionary practice – seeks to prevent youth radicalisation through civic education and to identify new pedagogical methods and interactive, participatory tools for building pro-social resilience to radical ideologies. We consider as ‘civic education programs’ all those initiatives of instruction that aim at affecting “people’s beliefs, commitments, capabilities, and actions as members or prospective members of communities”¹, as well as foster critical thinking and promoting “civic engagement and support democratic and participatory governance”². Such programs have been found “to help shape personal efficacy (i.e., an individual’s belief in their ability to effect change, political participation, and tolerance”³. Furthermore, “educational tools as such have proven to foster individuals' desistance from terrorist groups and ideologies by broadening the scope of their political values, ideals, and concepts (e.g., justice, honor, freedom) and by introducing alternative perspectives and worldviews”⁴.

In D.rad’s WP10, the focus is on civic education programs that adopt a participatory approach. This means involving all participants in expressing their ideas and bringing about change. Specifically, these methods empower marginalized voices, promoting civic engagement, problem-solving, and networking. Using techniques like role-plays and interactive tools, these programs foster critical thinking, empathy, democratic literacy, active citizenship, resilience, and socio-emotional learning. Critical thinking involves making reliable judgments based on sound information. It includes steps like asking questions, gathering relevant data, and considering various perspectives. Research shows a positive link between critical thinking and personal efficacy. Empathy is vital in civic and peace education. It means understanding and resonating with others' emotions. Pedagogical approaches like group work and cooperative tasks nurture empathy, as well as exposure to diverse choices and scenarios. Democratic literacy involves recognizing, valuing, and respecting all individuals as legitimate members of society. Non-formal education, like theatre, is a powerful way to engage communities in raising awareness and fostering democratic literacy. Active citizenship means actively participating in one's local community with values like respect, inclusion, and assistance. Educational programs equip participants with skills and knowledge for resilient societies built on trust. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges, a crucial skill in personal development against extremist ideologies. Research links resilience to pro-social behaviour and life satisfaction. Civic education fosters pro-social behaviour through empathy and voluntary actions that benefit others. Socio-emotional learning (SEL) includes five key components: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, social awareness, and relationship skills. Through SEL, individuals understand and regulate emotions, set positive goals, show empathy, build healthy relationships, and make responsible choices. Effective SEL training leads to improved academic performance and positive attitudes. It reduces disruptive behaviours and disciplinary issues. Educators prioritize SEL through activities that encourage communication, cooperation, emotional regulation, empathy, and self-control.

Against this background, the final goal of WP10 was to foster social cohesion, democratic literacy, active citizenship and a shared sense of belonging to counteract tendencies of grievance, alienation and polarisation through the development of a participatory role-play targeting community organizations, youth centres, social/educational workers and interested citizens.
WP10 was carried out in three parallel and complementary phases:

- project partners involved in the WP (EURAC – Bolzano/Bozen, AUP – Paris, FUB – Berlin, BILGI – Istanbul and PRONI – Brcko) analysed civic education programs implemented in their countries to combat radicalisation and violent extremism in order to highlight approaches, practices and challenges that needed to be taken into account in the development of WP10’s toolkit; EURAC complemented such analysis with an overall recognition of existing programmes at EU level and beyond;

- WP partners also contacted experts (academics, practitioners, NGO-leaders, public officers at the Ministry of Justice, social workers) in the field of de-radicalisation, civic-education, cultural mediation and theatrical methods to provide both feedback on challenges faced in past projects and opinions on the role-play developed in the 
framework of WP10;

- EURAC, assisted by project partners and external experts developed a role-play as a preventive tool for youth radicalisation; WP partners then tested the role-play in their respective countries to collect feedback on its implementation and effectiveness.

The role-play thus developed, called “In Search of the Lost Past”, is a civic education game encourages participants to reflect on available choices, avoiding adverse and/or violent outcomes. It aims to enhance critical thinking skills in problem-solving and understanding diverse perspectives. Accordingly, it fosters open-mindedness and respect for diversities and alternative worldviews while expanding participants' understanding of values, ideals, and concepts like justice, honour, and freedom. Participants collectively reconstruct stories through backwards journeys, starting from possible endings and envisioning earlier events from assigned character viewpoints. Through embodying diverse profiles and exploring various choice pathways, this reverse storytelling method prompts contemplation on decisions and their nuanced repercussions. Although all stories share a common finale, participants shape unique, parallel narratives based on distinct character perspectives. This imaginative process elucidates how personal experiences shape worldviews and life trajectories. This imaginative process serves to illuminate how personal experiences contribute to the formation of worldviews and life trajectories. Post-activity discussions centre around the decisions made and their far-reaching implications, emphasizing alternative approaches to challenging issues. Stepping into different mindsets not only cultivates empathy but also fortifies critical analysis skills among participants.

"In Search of the Lost Past" serves as a dynamic platform for exploring and understanding the complex interplay of choices, perspectives, and outcomes. Reconstructing the past helps us be open to new and diverse futures.