Radical Education. A Pilot Training Course for Educators Exploring Alternative Educational Practices

The Opportunity for Radical Thinking

The tradition of radical thinking – thinking things from the root – has a solid ground within critical pedagogy theory. Fostering radical thinking through education is often referred as “a task for radicals”. While the contribution of critical pedagogy is seen as fundamental for contemporary educational practices aiming to uncover oppressive structures and imagine equitable societies, the term “radical” was never as politically polarizing as it is presently. Although critical thinking has become a widely promoted competence, it mostly focuses on skills like media analysis, civic responsibility, problem-solving and entrepreneurship, often aligning with dominant cultural norms such as social acceleration, techno-capitalism, or economic Darwinism. In contrast, radical thinking engages a more complex task: it questions assumptions, explores alternatives, invites different utopias, and imagines structural change.

While many initiatives in the European Youth field had approached “critical thinking”, only residual initiatives had explored radical thinking. Nevertheless, a paper on Radical Education has been published by the Youth Partnership, some meetings have been exploring the topic, and some initiatives (such as Theatre of the Oppressed) pose radical questioning.

At a time when societies face multiple interconnected crises – climate change, rising inequalities, democratic erosion – there is an urgent need for spaces that support radical imagination. Radical education is more necessary than ever. It offers tools for imagining beyond the constraints of the present, addressing issues at their root, and empowering individuals to act collectively toward structural change. This pilot training – distinct from the “critical thinking” generalized practice – offers a platform for educators to explore bold ideas and unconventional approaches, empowering them to foster critical consciousness and collective action as responses to today’s pressing societal questions.

This pilot training serves the long-term aim to reinvigorate radical thinking as a key component of educational practice – one that inspires hope, critical reflection, and action toward a more just and equitable world.

The Objectives:

• To create a reflective and collaborative space for educators to engage with radical thinking.
• To explore educational practices that address systemic challenges and envision alternative futures.
• To support educators in building local initiatives that promote radical critical awareness and action.
• To foster a network of practitioners committed to radical education and systemic transformation.

Target Group:

This activity is targeted to educators programme countries (18+) working directly with young people, whether at local or other level, trough educational practices addressing one or more the so-called structural issues such as, but not limited to: racism, postcolonial imagination, patriarchy, ecofeminism, climate change, eco-crisis, LGBTQI+, de-growth, anti-disablism and autonomy, anti-capitalism, horizontal leaderships and the commons, intersectionalities, civil disobedience, utopia-making.

Priority of participation is given to educators non-established in international youth work routines, who wish to develop their practice as a space for radical thinking. A strong commitment to follow-up action is highly valorised, both in the sending organizations and their candidates.

Methodology

Participants will be encouraged to experiment with bold methods and develop alternative solutions to complex issues. This pilot training activity methodology necessarily has a healthy critical distance from the common educational practices in Europe, including the internationalized forms of non-formal education. Specific – often innovative – methodologies will be used for problematizing reality (e.g. Immersive Audio Unlearning, www.radical-edu.com), thinking about the self (e.g. dedicated board game), group sharing and discussing (e.g. interactive cloud-based app), utopia representation (e.g. trough graphical dedicated methods) and designing alternative educational practices (e.g. peer-assisted development).

Follow-up possibilities

• a seminar to share and further develop radical education practices; 
• a publication with radical education practices;
• a network of practitioners committed to radical education and systemic transformation

Trainers team:

Laure De Witte & Sérgio Xavier