Sunday, 18 May, 2008

2005 - European Year of Citizenship Through Education

Background to the Year

2005 was the European Year of Citizenship Through Education (EYCE), as decided by the Council of Europe. The aim of the Year was to promote education as a means of encouraging people to be active citizens and to take part in democratic processes. A website was launched by the Council of Europe, www.coe.int/EYCE, to keep people informed of what was happening during 2005 to celebrate the EYCE.

The Republic of Ireland's activities throughout the Year formally began on 1 March 2005, with the appointment of a full-time coordinator, Sandra Gowran, based in the Curriculum Development Unit in Dublin. This post, and all the activities carried out as a result of the appointment, were supported by the Department of Education and Science and Development Cooperation Ireland (a Directorate of the Department of Foreign Affairs). In addition to financial support, these Departments also contributed to the Management of the Year in the Ireland.

A website, www.citizenship2005.ie, was established to provide information about the Year in Ireland. The domain name 'Citizenship2005.ie' was used to identify all of Ireland's activities under the Year, and it was decided to focus on building the capacity of those in schools for life outside schools: promoting participation, evoking voice and developing understanding and valuing of difference and diversity as the main theme for the Year.

Priority Areas

In the context of the theme outlined above, the following were identified as priority areas for the Year's Activities

  • Contributing to the development of Social and Political Education at Senior Cycle in the formal second-level education sector
  • Promoting practice in citizenship education through activities, for example by supporting and promoting dedicated days, or a focused week of activities in Citizenship Education activities across the formal and non-formal education sectors
  • Building democratic practices and participation in democratic structures, for example, promoting good practice in the development of student councils within the second-level education sector
  • Contributing to the development of policy in the implementation of Citizenship Education activities through action based research, conferences and other activities
  • Promoting, collating and supporting good practice in Citizenship Education across sectors and levels of education

AONTAS & the European Year of Citizenship Through Education

In May 2005, AONTAS held a conference, 'Citizen Learner', to celebrate the EYCE. The conference was held in the Fairways Hotel, Dundalk, Co Louth and was attended by over 200 participants.

President Mary McAleese opened the conference and Kumi Naidoo, CEO of CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Partnership, was the keynote speaker. There were also a number of inputs from various other guest speakers, including Jane Thompson, Research and Development Officer with the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education in the UK; Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times Columnist; Dr. Eilis Ward, Lecturer in Women's Studies at NUI, Galway; and David Ervine, Leader of Northern Ireland's Progressive Unionist Party.

A conference report and DVD is available.

Citizenship Case Study - Clonmel Traveller Men: Combining Education with Tradition

Since 2003, a group of Traveller men from Clonmel have been attending the Co. Tipperary (SR) VEC Adult Learning Scheme, working on their literacy and numeracy skills on a weekly basis, with the help of their VEC-trained tutors. Many of them have prepared for the driver theory test at the centre, and the pass rate has been 100%.

In an effort to further develop their skills, the men are currently involved in a project to build a barrel top wagon. Themed literacy is a method for tutoring adults through an area that is both relevant and interesting to their lives. In this case, building a barrel top wagon is an exciting and challenging venture for the group, some of whom remember living in a barrel top wagon as children. Each phase of the project will be documented visually and through the writings of the participants.

The inspiration for the project came from a meeting held in February to discuss the future programmes for the men. They requested literacy, numeracy, computers, and woodwork tuition. South Tipperary VEC agreed to co-ordinate a programme and organise a trip to Cork for the men to the Cork Traveller Women's Network (CTWN).

On March 2nd, the group visited the Traveller Group Housing Scheme in Mahon, Nagle Community College, Bishopstown Leisure Centre, the Senior Traveller Training Centre in Blackrock and, finally, the Sculpture factory, where the barrel top wagon built by the CTWN is on display.

The range of activities and the projects undertaken by the Cork Traveller community impressed the group. According to Michael Stokes, "this was a great experience for the men, it brought back memories for some. It is good to see our culture being kept alive. Visiting Cork, and seeing what could be achieved, gave us the idea that it was something that we could do ourselves".

Patrick Hutchinson was impressed by a number of the activities that the group experienced during the trip "On this trip we saw other groups and what they were doing, we saw what could be possible through a men's group - we would be working towards creating something and keeping our culture alive".

There are approximately 25 Traveller families living in Clonmel - 10 families in Cahir and 6 in the Fethard/Cloneen area. Travellers in Clonmel continue to experience discrimination and marginalisation, and are denied access to a lot of facilities in the town. Communication in these situations is hindered by low levels of literacy. One of the main objectives of this project is to develop literacy skills through participation.

The project will encompass a range of activities including writing; reading; buying and selling; group work; research within the community; communication with various sources; and understanding tasks and deadlines. The project also encourages organisation, research, and commitment, through participation in the project and, on an individual level, fostering personal development among the participants.

James O' Reilly had this to say, "We would be learning something and working together - we can show that we are capable of giving it a go."

"Traveller men have come from a long line of doing their own thing. So it's great for a group of us to get together and draw a closer line with the settled people and work together", Michael Stokes added.

The barrel top wagon project began on 15 March 2005, and the planning phase is well underway, with funding commitments for part of the cost from FAS. The goal is to complete the wagon and achieve the learning outcomes by March 17, 2006.