Nordic Perspectives: Engage - skills for democratic life
The Nordic Perspective Series is a quarterly collection of articles, information and good practices from the Nordic countries on the thematic focuses of the EPALE platform. The series is co-created by the EPALE Nordic NSSs of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. This article focuses on engage – skills for democratic life.
To fully engage in our society, between challenges and transformation processes, we must be active and aware as citizens. What skills are needed to participate in democratic processes with awareness and responsibility?
EPALE wants to highlight the role of adult learning and education in building skills for democratic life.
Following the European Union’s efforts, EPALE is interested in tackling misinformation and disinformation, given the role they play in polarising public opinion, and in promoting violent extremism and hate speech. The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the media narratives around them have made it especially clear how toxic our media ecosystem can become, and how it can potentially harness our democracies. So, what tools can EPALE put in place to allow citizens to understand and flag misinformation and disinformation?
Find out more about engage – skills for democratic life in the Nordic countries by reading the country-specific descriptions of the theme and by clicking on the links and content in each country’s section.
Denmark: Danes to take the lead in digital literacy with ten-year research and development project
The adult learning industry is broadly represented by ambitious project, Algorithms, Data and Democracy. The primary purpose of the ADD project is to uncover, elucidate, upskill and find solutions to the fundamental democratic challenge that is naturally posed when more and more decisions affecting our lives and societal development are taken automatically on the basis of data and algorithms which are opaque and unfamiliar to the majority of us.
Read more about the ADD project in the blog. The blog is available in English and Danish.
Finland: Democratic innovations support active citizenship
In what ways can active, participatory citizenship be supported? What kind of skills are required for participation in a democratic society? The topic is discussed by three experts from Finland: in the light of research on adult education by Professor of Adult Education Hanna Toiviainen from Tampere University, through the concept of Bildung by Communications Officer Sari Pohjola from the Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation (KVS), and from the point of view of democracy innovations by Maija Jäske, Adviser at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and democracy researcher at Åbo Akademi University.
Read the whole blog here. The blog is available in English, Swedish and Finnish.
Finland: The Year of Skills: active citizens are needed more than ever before
What role does active citizenship play in strengthening democratic societies? And what is the role of adult learning in this? These questions are answered in the article by Erno Hyvönen, a project planner in the Ministry of Education and Culture, Björn Wallén, the chairperson of the Finnish Adult Education Association (VST) and Kristiina Stenman, a volunteering development expert in the City of Helsinki.
Read the blog here. The blog post is available in English, Swedish and Finnish
Iceland – Voices of people with an immigrant background – Inclusion in education, work and society
For centuries, Iceland has been an isolated country in the North Atlantic, known for its unique landscape of volcanoes, glaciers, and waterfalls. During the last decades, however, Icelandic society has changed from being a homogeneous society to becoming a country hosting a multicultural nation. Challenging tasks need to be resolved in welcoming newcomers wanting to settle in the country and engage in the society. The blog is about the project “Voices of people with an immigrant background – inclusion in education, work and society”. The aim is to build a foundation of information from focus groups of immigrants and relevant stakeholders – to bring forth the voice of users and through that highlight the most current challenges they experience.
Read the blogpost here. The blog is available in English.
Norway: Five success factors for projects involving NEETs
2022 was the European Year of Youth, an EU framework for a string of initiatives and projects benefitting young people living in Europe. In a series of three articles, Grethe Haugøy presents some of her experiences with international projects involving young adults who are excluded from the labor market and are not candidates for traditional providers of education and training.
The first article, Five success factors for projects involving NEETs. Part 1: Motivation, and the second article Five success factors for projects involving NEETs. Part 2: Learning and networking are available on EPALE now! The blogpost is available in English.
Sweden: Public education prevents exclusion
The text presents how Swedish folk high schools help students who have previously not been able to finish their school education (for various reasons) and in the end succeed in getting their high school degrees. This strengthen democracy, makes it possible for people to alter their situation in life and prevents students from exclusion both in school and in society. The blog is based on an interview with the vice-principal/acting principal at Stadsmissionens Folk High School (in Stockholm).
Read the blog here. The blog is available in English and Swedish.
