Confronting Inequalities! The Role of Citizenship Education

24 – 27 October 2019, Glasgow

NECE and its partners are coming to this vibrant Scottish city just a few days before the UK (including Scotland with its clear ‘Remain’ vote) is supposed to leave the European Union. Benjamin Disraeli’s observation in 1845 that Britain ‘was dividing in two nations between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy’ seems to be resonating more than ever today. As more than 400 citizenship educators will be coming together in Glasgow, we hope to provide a platform and a space for solidarity with citizens in Britain who are – among other things – about to lose their status as European citizens once the Britain leaves the EU.

Set against the ongoing drama of Brexit (plus many other crises of democracy in the world), NECE 2019 will be looking at the issue of inequalities in the development of young people’s citizenship and political identity. What are the consequences of social injustice for the living worlds of young adults and citizens? How can citizenship education and engagement enable citizens to overcome inequalities? How can we reach out to marginalised areas and communities to bring them to the centre of the dialogue? What do we need in terms of knowledge and practice for such an engagement to be successful?

Our programme mirrors the great variety of academic and practical learning NECE with its many partners and initiatives can offer: more than 20 workshops, presentations, discussions, excursions, a Project Market and two Open Spaces will discuss the challenges of growing inequalities, its political causes and its implications for citizenship education as a profession.
As in previous years, NECE strives to be an open forum, open for you to participate with your ideas and projects (two open spaces are waiting for you to be explored) but open as well for new ideas including controversies and challenges to concepts, we take for granted.
We are looking forward to your ideas and contributions!

A big thank you to all our partners for preparing this event for more than one year, especially the new ones in Scotland such as IDEAS, WOSDEC, Bridge 47 and others, the Technology and Innovation Centre for helping with visa applications and advice, the NECE team at the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the team from labconcepts, our coordinating agency.

Christoph Müller-Hofstede, bpb/ NECE Coordination, 7 October 2019