Active citizenship: projects that inspire social change

These EU-funded projects offer creative, modern solutions to contemporary educational challenges, equipping teachers with new resources and helping pupils acquire new skills that they can apply in and beyond the classroom. Notable examples include IMCITIZEN, Fit4EU and Social Radio 2.0, which encourage civic engagement, help develop a sense of European identity and promote media literacy.

IMCITIZEN: improving citizenship education

The IMCITIZEN project aims to help develop children's civic and democratic identities. It identifies strategies to support child participation in the decision-making processes that influence public policies. It has also created child participation platforms, made up of children aged 9 to 12, that enable schoolchildren to participate in local decision-making.

The project provides a range of resources to support teachers and pupils, often co-created with children. These resources, available in Spanish and English, include:

• Plan for child participation: a guide featuring 14 key proposals to improve children's involvement in the local communities.
• Co-designing a child participation platform: 10 illustrated steps to initiate and implement a child participation platform in any space and context.
• YOUARECITIZEN toolbox: a set of seven training workshops for educators on children's rights and their active participation in both schools and society.
• Children as trainers: training activities designed for children to teach younger peers about their rights and participation in democratic life.

While participating in the drafting of some of these resources, pupils shared their thoughts and experiences

We shared our plan with important people in our city. We met at the University of A Coruña and told them about our ideas so that more people could participate. We also talked about our right to speak our minds and to be heard. We also shared our commitment: we want to take action to make our city a better place.

Ramón de la Sagra and Manuel Murguía primary schools, 
A Coruña, Spain

Fit4eu: Making the EU accessible to pupils

Fit4EU, a Jean Monnet project, focuses on enhancing civic involvement and understanding of the European Union. Its primary object is to make the EU more relatable and engaging for pupils, encouraging them to participate in EU political processes.

The project provides tailored courses for educators at primary and secondary levels. While primary school teachers may concentrate on fundamental ideas like what the EU is and why it was created, secondary teachers can look deeper into the EU's political structures and decision-making processes.

Fit4EU uses interactive activities such as games and quizzes to make learning more dynamic. For instance:

• JUMPER: A simulation game designed specifically for pupils with minimal prior political education, enabling them to role-play as members of the European Parliament.
• PEP simulation: An engaging activity in which pupils discuss issues like environmental protection, animal welfare and healthy eating, helping them gain a deeper understanding of EU roles and decision-making challenges.

Social Radio 2.0: the European school radio and podcasting community for active citizenship education

Social Radio 2.0 introduces media and creativity into the classroom, giving pupils the opportunity to express themselves while developing useful skills.

Through an innovative curriculum focused on civic education and media literacy, pupils learn how to produce their own podcasts and radio broadcasts, do research and write scripts.

While working with their peers to create a final product, pupils gain confidence in their public speaking abilities. A group of pupils may, for example, produce a podcast on a local issue, conducting interviews with community members and sharing their viewpoints.

Activities using video and podcasts in the classroom could include:

• Creative storytelling: Have pupils write and record fictional stories or historical reenactments, developing their writing and oral communication skills.
• Cultural exchange: Use the radio to connect with other schools for collaborative shows, sharing cultural insights and building global awareness.
• Classroom debates: Organise radio-style debates on relevant topics, to enhance critical thinking and persuasive speaking skills.

By embracing different approaches and tools, educators can inspire their pupils to become thoughtful, responsible and active members of society, ready to tackle the challenges of today's world.

To discover more ongoing and past EU-funded projects in school education, please go to the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform.