citizens empowerment social innovation synergies

Project within the call EACEA No 05/2016

Key Action 3: Support for policy reform

Social inclusion through education, training and youth

The proposal is coordinated by University of Catania through CeDoc (Interdepartmental Research Centre of University of Catania) and supposes starting from December 2016. Its aim is to be able the participants to make their voice heard on how European policies should be shaped and implemented for a better future of Europe. It will have both local and international activities.

CeDoc is looking for a partner to develop a KA3 project on how to boost skills and enhance youngsters participation in democratic life. Further details to be developed with the partners.

Aim and objectives

Starting from the common idea that a gap between citizens and the European institutions is evident and contributes to a " European citizenship deficit.”, this proposal intends to address the issue by focusing on EU policy-making vis-à-vis other territorial levels of governance. Therefore this proposal aims to provide a framework to strengthen a territorial dimension of EU policies through a place-based approach to meeting European Union challenges and expectations.

A central driver in this process is the active citizenship. The effectiveness of a model of social inclusion and participation for youth based on the awareness of being European citizen is based on enhancing and spreading out experiences aimed not only the acquisition of knowledge , but also to the development of skills and competences. In the process of building European identity a key dimension is the promotion of inclusive and democratic participation for people at European, national and local level. Most of public policies relevant for the development of the active citizenship are managed from local authorities; the sub-national political and administrative power is considered as a strategic level for those actions which regard the implementation phase of the policies. Following this general framework the proposal intends to boost the promotion and dissemination in the local society of full awareness of active citizenship for the benefit of the process of building European identity. Therefore the objects are:

incentivizing and facilitating the active participation of young people in decisional processes within local institutions; providing training courses on the topic of active citizenship modelled as National Lab-workshop to be held in secondary schools allowing youths to become aware of their role as decision makers. Here they get the opportunity to meet European and local officials and experts in cohesion policies; fostering social inclusion and employment applying a bottom-up approach trough the Community-led Local Development.

The activities proposed for the implementation of different goals of the project include: a) training and capacity-building activities; b) Cooperation and partnerships; c) educational practices and tools; d) Conferences , seminars , workshops and meetings with political leaders and decision makers.

On the same token the proposal contributes to pursue one of the two objectives mentioned in the call that is “Preventing violent radicalisation and promoting democratic values, fundamental rights, intercultural understanding and active citizenship” and directly refers to the following specific objectives:

Improving the acquisition of social and civic competences and fostering knowledge, understanding and ownership of democratic values and fundamental rights; Encouraging youth participation in social and civic life and developing inclusion and outreach practices to reach young people; Enhancing the quality of non-formal learning activities, youth work practices and volunteering.