Channeling civic skills and values into positive community action

• In Event: Roundtable Group 7
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Education, civil society and politics

Proposal

Organizations often depend on training and workshops as the main vehicle for civic education. While this is important, people struggle to transfer civic skills and knowledge outside of the classroom. Evidence shows that effects of civic education are strongest when it includes experienced facilitators, hands-on activities, and is contextualized to the specific country (USAID, 2022). In this presentation, we will draw on lessons learned from two programs to open a discussion on how to use experiential learning (Kolb, 2015) as a method to engrain civic skills and mindsets within individuals and as a catalyst for change in communities. In our presentation, we will include evidence around experiential learning, its use as a catalyst for change, and lessons learned from tweaking our model over the last 8 years. We will also share ideas for adaptations regarding program lengths, funding amounts, and contexts.

Through both programs, participants underwent an experiential cycle that resulted in strong and innovative community projects and initiatives that were sustained beyond the program. Through this cycle, individuals consistently learned new skills, reflected on experiences, and then applied and refined the learning within their communities. Integrated throughout the cycle were additional stages of learning, which reinforced and deepened skills acquired early on in the program.

By using this cycle of learning, we have seen drastic increase in civic skills and values. Results include 87% of participants from the first program reporting that they were more civically engaged. Similarly, 97% of Fellows from the second program reported their experiences on the program increased their appreciation for democratic governance and provided them critical skills to play a role in strengthening Mongolia’s democracy. The presentation will explain specific types of approaches and methods that were critical to these programs’ successful engagement of youth as changemakers. This includes:
1. Including real-world experiences: It was critical for knowledge to be viewed and examined through the fellows' real-world work and experiences. All topics and pedagogies were designed to be flexible enough to accommodate regional and demographic differences and be relevant to a wide range of issue areas.
2. Integrating social inclusion: Both programs also included an intentional focus on social inclusion, as true change requires diverse voices and mindsets. As result, 98% of participants from the first program shared they had increased their level of social inclusion in their civic activities. An external evaluation of the second program found that Fellows contributed to greater social inclusion and elevation of traditionally excluded communities.
3. Encouraging an iterative mindset: The iterative process of having Fellows work on ideas continuously from the beginning of the program allowed Fellows to reflect carefully, integrate various sources of feedback, and condense diverse ideas. Furthermore, the projects were Fellow owned and led, meaning the project ideas did not come from program staff or mentors, but instead reflected Fellows’ own ideas and existing work and the change they wanted to see. Specific programs on issues such as environment, anti-corruption, and inclusion, among others, will be highlighted as part of the presentation.

Author

• Alexandra Levy, World Learning