As part of the Erasmus+ project BEEP, the project consortium worked intensively on issues of participation and adult education. Together with the partner organisations DAFNI KEK in Greece, Associazione Arcipelago in Italy, EPATV in Portugal, AONTAS in Ireland and lernraum.wien | Wiener Volkshochschulen in Austria, a comprehensive inventory of citizen participation processes was carried out. Interviews were conducted to find out who is excluded from democratic processes, who is involved and what goals and interests are associated with the term "participation". Workshops with learners helped to find concrete ways to participate.

BEEB Kick-off meeting (C) lernraum.wien

Democracy without participation is dangerous (BEEP). But "participation" without democracy is a false solution. (Hall 1988)

In order to understand who is excluded and who sees themselves as excluded, the basic research report first focussed on the definition of the terms "policy" and "participation". In order to gain an insight into the understanding of participation at individual, institutional and teacher level, focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with learners and teachers of basic education, as well as a focus group discussion with stakeholders. 

In the final section, the report looks at existing participatory processes in the partner countries and in other countries of the European Union.

Aspects such as belonging and a sense of belonging to a group were particularly emphasised by the learners. Personal characteristics such as shyness can also stand in the way of formulating concrete ideas for improving the neighbourhood or participating in school assemblies from the perspective of a learner from Italy.

From a teacher's perspective, participation must lead to real results: "If participation is conditional, it is not real participation." (Adult educator in Portugal)

Participation requires "freedom of expression and responsibility". Participation can be exercised at various levels, from the micro to the macro level. Participation in democratic processes is often reduced to the idea of "exercising the right to vote". This is a truncated view. (Adult educator in Portugal)

The topic was also discussed controversially at stakeholder level. For example, there are calls for more funding and multilingual information, and the safety aspect was also raised.

The basic research laid the foundation for understanding the challenges and opportunities in the area of political participation and basic education. It provided important findings that were incorporated into the development of the project products and ensured that they met the needs and requirements of the target group. This resulted in the guidelines for stakeholders on promoting political participation and the recommendations for political decision-makers. The handbook for trainers with activities and ideas for political participation in adult education lessons is a product that emerged from the workshops with the learners. Further links, resources and ideas can be found in the BEEP Padlet Resource Hub. 

"We have the right to participate" (BEEP) 

The Stakeholder Guide to Promoting Political Participation summarises twelve obstacles and provides six guidelines for promoting political participation.

Obstacles/challenges include people's socio-economic status and possible lack of education, which reduces the likelihood of active participation. Age can be a factor in why people feel disconnected from the political system. "There are generations that have not been instilled with a sense of participation, but if we start working with children, we will have a more participatory society." (EPATV focus group report). Gender roles and stereotypes can also still influence political engagement. Minority groups can be discriminated against and marginalised, leading to lower political participation. Language barriers can also play an important role. People living in rural areas may have less access to political information and fewer opportunities to participate in political campaigns or events. This barrier was emphasised in various groups (EPATV and VHS focus groups).

Disenchantment with politics or cynicism may prevent people from participating in the political process. Distrust of political institutions and leaders can also prevent people from participating because they believe that their efforts will not lead to meaningful change. 

Legal hurdles, the influence of the media and social networks are further challenges. Finally, the lack of political education and mobilisation efforts are listed.

Six points are emphasised for the promotion of political participation:

• Information - disclosure of the topic/activity in advance

• Thematic proximity

• Empowerment for participation

• Selection of the location based on the Erasmus+ project SAFE (Safe spAces For lEarning)

• Feedback and 

• Involving people right from the start

"Participation is necessary - for democracy and for all areas of life" (BEEP)

The third and final project product is dedicated to recommendations for political decision-makers. 

Seven recommendations were made from all the data collected:

• Opening up educational institutions to all people in society, taking into account the social reality of all citizens.

• Democratisation of digital education and participatory processes to ensure accessibility and inclusion. 

• Involving citizens in the processes of institutions and organisations to ensure and promote better alignment between the decisions of organisations and the reality of citizens. 

• Policymakers and decision-makers should use multimodal and accessible means to communicate with the public while providing clear and understandable information. 

• Political decision-makers must represent all residents, both citizens and non-citizens, in their decision-making. And they must do so comprehensively and without exception. 

• Adult education institutions and policy makers should introduce civic education for learners in non-formal education, regardless of their socio-economic background and educational level. 

To summarise, the following can be said

Participatory processes generate tensions and conflicts that at best encourage people to work for change. The local environment (family, neighbourhood and region) appears to be more accessible for participation in participatory processes and must therefore be particularly encouraged.

(Political) participation also requires promotion and mediation in the form of formal and informal educational structures (lessons, leisure activities, etc.). And, last but not least, political participation can only succeed through the systematic inclusion of all residents and through the right to participate in larger democratic processes.

Further information on the project products can be found on the projekt website.

Präsentation des Erasmus+ Projekt BEEP © OeAD APA-FotoserviceHörmandinger

About this blog: 
This blog post is based on a presentation at the 2024 EPALE and Erasmus+ Conference entitled "Participation in focus: Pathways to active participation through adult education".

About the author: 

Dilek Taşdemir, M.A. in Linguistics with a focus on Anglistics, Art and Media Studies and Sociology, has been working as a researcher at lernraum.wien, the Research Institute for Multilingualism, Education and Integration of the Vienna Adult Education Centres, since 2014. She is involved in international and national projects as well as evaluation projects. Her work focuses on multilingualism, multilingualism in public spaces (linguistic landscapes) and superdiversity.