The Power of Protest through Citizenship Education: Confronting Challenges and Re-energising Policy and Practice

Group Submission Type: Pre-conference Workshop

Description of Session

This workshop contributes to the conference’s Sub-Themes 2 and 4: Curriculum and Protest & Pedagogies and Protest

A central purpose of education is to empower learners with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions setting them on a life-long civic journey participating in democratic society. Freedom of thought and expression and an understanding of protest in all its forms is an essential element of responsive and responsible education. These values underpin the Northern Ireland (NI) Curriculum. In particular, Citizenship education (CE), introduced in 2007, with the objective to enable young people “to participate positively in society...influence democratic processes...[and] make informed and responsible decisions as local and global citizens throughout their lives” (CCEA,2007). Amongst policy-makers, the intention was that CE would facilitate transformative learning in post-conflict NI, and ultimately contribute to societal cohesion.

Recent research (Anderson Worden,2023; O’Connor et al, 2019), reveals the status of CE is severely diminished in NI schools and its potential to nurture a politically literate citizenry has faded. NI, however, is not an outlier; the potential impact of CE is being eroded globally as politicians, policy-makers and educators prioritize more academic subjects with some governments restricting teachers’ ability to address issues such as structural racism and gender identity.

This workshop facilitates the exchange of ideas, using NI as the starting point to address challenges confronting CE globally. Participants will share their CE experiences and co-design a CE Toolkit to re-energise policies and practices. An intended legacy is to inspire a global network of CIES CE practitioners to continue to share the use and development of the toolkit in localised contexts and explore publication possibilities.

3 -Stage Interactive Workshop

Empowerment: The first part of the workshop delves into the empowering potential of CE in the context of protest. Participants are encouraged to share their own relevant experiences. It highlights how CE can serve as a platform for students and teachers to become change agents in their communities, contributing to the democratic fabric of their societies.

Political Influence: In part two the focus shifts to examining the role of political ‘buy in’ to the CE curriculum. It questions whether the demise of CE and lack of accountability is a result of conscious political decision-making, influenced by political ideologies and interests. It explores the potential benefits politicians might derive from a citizenry with limited understanding of civic rights, responsibilities, and the mechanisms of governance – particularly in a polarised society where the status quo between the ‘two sides’ reflects the two largest political entities.

Toolkit Co-design: In this segment, we share relevant best practice principles of established interventions that the research team is actively involved in (see BERA,2023) facilitating sensitive and challenging “community conversations” and begin to co-design a framework for a CE toolkit comprising practical skills and techniques that participants can apply in their own contexts.

The workshop will empower participants to re-energise CE, integrating essential elements like protest into the curriculum and to reinvigorate its value in the curriculum, not only in Northern Ireland but also in comparable global contexts.

Sub Unit

• Pre-Conference Workshops, Book launches, and Visual Art Exhibits / Pre-Conference Workshop

Chair

• Elizabeth Anderson Worden, American University

Workshop Organizer

• Una O'Connor, Ulster University

Presenting author

• Clare McAuley, Ulster University

• Sammy Taggart, Ulster University