Dissemination
| Author | European Union Publications Office, 2006 |
| Pages | 103-106 |
Page 103
The purpose of the etgace project was principally a scientific one, designed to contribute to knowledge about learning of active citizenship and governance. However, it was appreciated from the outset that this would be most effectively undertaken if the project were embedded in the activities and professional practice of citizenship educators and active citizens. To this end, the project dissemination strategy had two overlapping dimensions:
* first, to ensure that the research itself was linked as closely as feasible to practice, in its design and conduct; and
* second, to ensure that its outcomes and findings were made available - in as user-friendly a form as possible - to educators and related professionals, as well as to scholars.
In the first three months of the project, all partners undertook a preliminary 'audit' of existing networks relating to citizenship and governance education in their country. This spanned the three domains (work, state, civil society). It performed several functions: it alerted a range of citizenship educators in each country to the existence of the ETGACE project; it provided 'intelligence' which played a part in the identification and selection of Advisory Panel members; it set the context for identifying interviewees for the life history research; and it enabled teams to develop links with educators who might take part later in the focus group research. Teams periodically updated the information they had obtained about networks throughout the proj ect.
In the same period, Advisory Panels were formed in each country. These were composed along the lines set out in Table 3.1 above. As anticipated, membership varied slightly with national conditions and individual expertise. A broadly equal gender balance was achieved in all countries; certain other features of importance were also taken into account (e.g., in Spain, a gypsy woman was included). Except in Slovenia, the advisory panels met on at least five occasions in each country.1
Panels members in all countries were largely experts, with busy agendas, and some difficulty was experienced with attendance. (In Belgium a somewhat different approach was taken: the panel comprised 28 members in all, spread across the specified categories; an average attendance often was achieved in each meeting.)
Page 104
The project outputs were of two kinds: those of a 'scientific' nature, and more practice-related outputs directed toward professional and citizenship educator communities. These categories did, of course, to some extent overlap.
(a) Reports to European Commission
The scientific findings of the project were reported formally to the European Commission (dg Research) in four major reports (in addition to the present one):
* 'Citizenship and Governance Education in Europe: A Critical Review of the Literature': vi + 205 pages; November 2000. (Etgace 2000)
The ten chapters of this report covered the literature on citizenship, governance and citizenship education and learning in each of the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Belgium. There were also chapters on 'European level' literature (chiefly the EU itself), and on a gender perspective on the literature, together with an introduction and conclusion.
* 'Learning Citizenship and Governance in Europe: Analysis of Life Histories': ix + 268 pages; May 2001. (Etgace 2001a)
This provided report and analysis of evidence of the biographical research. There are chapters on each of the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Belgium, together with an introduction and conclusion. Chapters follow a consistent format: context, why people become active citizens, how they shape active citizenship, where and how they learn, the role of gender and comparison of generations are covered. Brief profiles of all interviewees in each country are given. An executive summary is also provided.
* 'Focus Groups: Intervention Strategies for Citizenship and Governance Education': 220 pages; November 2001. (Etgace 2001b)
This provided report and analysis, on a country basis, of the focus group research. There are chapters on each of the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Belgium, together with an introduction and conclusion. The six country-based chapters follow a consistent format: prime modes of intention, new approaches, gender, and socio-economic and political trends. There is an executive summary.
* 'Learning Active Citizenship and Governance in Late Modern Society. A European Perspective': viii + 173 pages; September 2002. (Etgace 2002b)
This provided the text of a book, to be submitted for publication,2 of contributions based on the empirical research. After an Introduction, the chapters covered: Citizenship, Civil Society and Lifelong Learning; What is Activity in Active Citizenship?; Diversity of Active Citizens and their Biographies; Challenge, Capacity and Connection; Discourses of Activism;Page 105 Contexts of Learning Active Citizenship; Facilitating Governance and Active Citizenship; Social Challenge of Learning Active Citizenship and the Reconstruction of Governance.
(b) Scientific Workshops and Conferences
One conference and three scientific workshops were planned and held, as follows.
* Conference: Active Citizens - Active Learning: Implications for research and policy (Amazone Centre, Rue du Meridien, Brussels, Belgium: March 15-16, 2002). Keynote speaker: Peter Jarvis (Surrey).
* Workshop: Learning Active Citizenship and Governance (University of Westminster, London, UK: 13 December 2001). Speakers included: John Holford (Surrey), Danny Wildemeersch (Leuven).
* Workshop: Adult Educational Interventions for Active Citizenship and Governance (University of Westminster, London, UK: 13 December 2001). Speakers included: Ruud van der Veen (Nijmegen), Gerard Delanty (Liverpool).
* Workshop: Participatory Research & Active Citizenship: Challenges for Europe (Slovene Institute for Adult Education, Ljubljana, Slovenia: 7-8 July 2002). Speakers included: John Holford (University of Surrey), Danny Wildemeersch & Veerle Stroobants (Leuven), Ruud van der Veen & Nicoleta Chioncel (Nijmegen).
See §7.4 below for further details of these events
(c) Other Scientific Outputs
In addition, members of the project team have written and/or presented a range of papers and similar outputs. These have been submitted to, and published in, range of academic and professional journals and books, and at scientific conferences.
(a) Website
A website was established at an early stage of the project (month 3). Although initially quite rudimentary, it was enhanced progressively as the project advanced, with a range of reports, presentations and other publications and materials being available. By the later stages of the project the website also incorporated links to each of the participating project partners, and through them to a range of links within each country.
The website is at: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Education/ETGACE/.
(b) Guides and Materials
The project issued several items designed to make the findings of the project available in a user-friendly way to citizenship educators and policy-makers and citizenship. These were:
* 'Becoming Active Citizens: Europeans Reflect on their Practice. A Manual with Materials for Analysis and Discussion on Learning Governance & Citizenship': iii + 39 pages; March 2002. (Etgace 2002a)Page 106
The chief aim of this publication was 'to support professionals and policy-makers in various branches of citizenship learning to reflect on - and improve - their practice in the field' (p. ii). Making extensive use of life history evidence, this comprised an introduction, five chapters, and other material. The chapters covered: What is Active Citizenship?; Who are Active Citizens?; What forms of Active Citizenship are Inclusive and Democratic?; How do People Learn Active Citizenship?; What Styles of Intervention are There?
* 'Learning Active Citizenship and Governance': 3 pages; May 2001.
This 'brief guide to findings' was issued in a number of formats. Apart from material explaining the project in general, including contact information, the text was identical to the Executive Summary included in the Life History report (ETGACE 2001a, pp. ii-iv).
* 'Education for Active Citizenship and Governance': 3 pages; November 2001.
This 'brief guide to findings' was issued in a number of formats. Apart from material explaining the project in general, including contact information, the text was identical to the Executive Summary included in the Focus Group report (ETGACE 2001b, pp. 3-5).
* 'Facilitating Active Citizenship and Governance. An On-line Learning Package developed by the ETGACE Project': September 2002.
This on-line learning package, available on the ETGACE website, explores issues and perspectives about active citizenship and governance at local, national, European, and global levels. The aim is to provide a framework to help citizenship educators reflect on their practice, and to introduce them to ETGACE perspectives. It is designed for citizenship educators (e.g., community developers, community workers, community leaders, tutors in adult and further education institutions, youth workers, trade union tutors, and activists concerned with issues such as the environment, gender, etc.); some aspects are of value to schoolteachers.
There are five themes: What is Active Citizenship and Governance?; Who is an Active Citizen?; What forms of Active Citizenship are recognised/not recognised?; How do people learn Active Citizenship and Governance?; How can we Facilitate Learning Active Citizenship and Governance? Each theme is explored using excerpts from ETGACE life history interviews and/or good practice from ETGACE focus groups. For each theme there are activities, overview commentaries, suggestions for further reading and a discussion forum.
(c) Workshops for Citizenship Educators
The project proposal envisaged a series of workshops (one in each country) for citizenship educators, to be held between months 24 and 28. These were held as planned. Participants included educators, national and local policy-makers, social movement educators and citizenship activists, trade union and political party trainers, management consultants. The organisation and precise arrangements for the workshops were handled by the national project teams, and varied from country to country, but included discussion of project findings, and mechanisms to ensure ETGACE learning resources were available to students.
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[1] The number of meetings held were: Finland (7), the Netherlands (6), Spain, Belgium and the UK (5 each), Slovenia (4).
[2] As it was anticipated this would be submitted for publication, it was requested that this report be treated as confidential by the Commission; this was agreed.
