Confronting Inequalities! The Role of Citizenship Education

24 – 27 October 2019, Glasgow

Set against the ongoing drama of Brexit, NECE is coming to Glasgow in an attempt to explore the issue of inequalities and their effects on the development of young people’s political identity. We are particularly interested in the way in which deprivation (especially in the context of widening inequality) affects the thinking of young people with regard to themselves as citizens of a city, a country or of the international community.
If citizenship education supplies knowledge and promotes participation among structurally disadvantaged groups, it may support them to raise their voices in a public discussion and defend their interests as citizens of a democratic society. Can and should citizenship educators be more focussed on working with disadvantaged groups, thereby contributing to social and political change?
What kind of knowledge and critical reflection are needed for such an engagement to be successful?

NECE 2019 will explore these core questions by inviting leading scholars, practitioners and initiatives from civil society from all over Europe, the Southern Mediterranean and Eastern partnership countries. They will present new research, new reflections and new examples of good practice in citizenship education. More than 20 lectures, workshops and panels and two ‘Open Spaces’ will provide a platform which may help to develop ideas for an adaption of tools and instruments in and out of schools towards the disadvantaged youth (and citizens).

Last but not least: only a few days away from Brexit day (aka Halloween) the conference will host a transnational discussion of the implications of new inequalities and divides caused by Brexit.

Glasgow, the biggest city of Scotland, offers an ideal setting to host a conference on inequalities and citizenship education. With its heritage of industrialisation, post-industrial decline and social movements it provides an opportunity to learn about the still existing evidence of extreme inequalities and poverty.
At the same time, a vibrant civil, technological and cultural scene is waiting for us to be explored. Field trips to key areas and initiatives related to citizenship education are part of the program.

NECE has formed partnerships with important citizenship education initiatives in Scotland such as IDEAS, WOSDEC and Bridge 47 as well as with the Institute for Future Cities at the University of Strathclyde. Glaswegian schools will show how they promote citizenship by working in adverse environments. Darren McGarvey, author of the bestseller “Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of the British Underclass”, will open the conference with his critical examination of narratives that surround poverty and social deprivation.