Citizenship and Values Education to the Rescue! Making the case for a call to action
23 September 2009
Executive Summary | Call to Action
David Kerr (NFER) worked with the influential Five Nations Network to produce a shared Call to Action for Citizenship and Values Education. The "Five Nations Network" comprises representatives from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Main points
Key points for the Call to Action are:
- Ensuring that every young person across the Five Nations has a right and entitlement to high quality citizenship and values education
- Galvanising support in educating people to play an active and responsible part in democratic life and exercise their rights and responsibilities
- Getting politicians and policy makers to make a renewed commitment to Citizenship and Values Education to enable young people to engage with our increasingly complex, challenging and changing world
Public outrage at ‘MPs expenses’, increased mistrust in politics and politicians, the rise of far right parties and a meltdown in democratic participation have all highlighted the urgency for investment in Citizenship and Values Education according to the Five Nations Network. The Network has devised a number of Lines of Action to invigorate citizenship and values education and its members are working hard to make these realisable. They include: securing allies and resources; building networks and alliances; launching a programme of pilot projects and disseminating ‘what works’.