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“Unlike in the city, you can't keep out of each other’s way.” Study on democratic education in rural areas of Saxony
Particularly during this election year, political education in rural areas of Saxony is a hot button topic. Researchers at TU Dresden have now conducted the first systematic study to investigate how youth centers, associations and other actors in political education work, what challenges they face, and what opportunities still exist for educational work.Apr 11, 2024, 5:34:10 PM
Betty Baumann, Technische Universität Dresden
David Jugel and Celina M. Hertel, researchers at the John Dewey Research Center for Civic Education (JoDDiD), made a conscious decision in their study to examine rural areas with their specific potential, challenges and strategies for extracurricular civic education, going beyond urban perspectives in Saxony. In Saxony, civic education takes place in very different contexts and settings - the focus of science and funding structures has so far been mainly on cities. In order to broaden this somewhat limited view, the authors have devised a qualitative analysis to systematically work out the special challenges confronting political education in rural areas. At the same time, the potential of the field and strategies for finding solutions are also outlined and considered from a didactic perspective. In line with JoDDiD's participatory research approach, Saxon actors involved in the field were interviewed as part of the study and brought together in a workshop discussion. "The key topics that emerged were the support and protection of actors against attacks, the need for suitable didactic strategies, the promotion of confidence to act and the long-term financing of democratic education work," explains author Celina M. Hertel. David Jugel, likewise an author of the study, adds: "Relationship structures are particularly important in rural areas, because unlike in the city, you can’t keep out of each other’s way there. Experience shows that political education in rural areas is particularly successful when projects and actors are able to establish a good relationship with the population as well as with local politics and administration, and secure this in people's everyday lives using innovative concepts. However, such a process takes several years and well-qualified staff." Prof. Anja Besand, Director of JoDDiD, goes on to say: "This first systematic analysis of the field of action of political education in rural areas in Saxony is an important tool for examining the suitability of the funding instruments on the part of the Free State and the municipalities. JoDDiD has therefore made a central contribution to the qualification of political education in Saxony." The John Dewey Research Center for Civic Education invites actors and providers of political education to reflect on political education in rural areas with its specific and contemporary challenges in a stimulating exchange and with an inquiring eye. Contact: David Jugel John Dewey Research Center for Civic Education (JoDDiD) TU Dresden Email: david.jugel@tu-dresden.de Tel: 017620563085 John Dewey Research Center for Civic Education: www.joddid.de JoDDiD Instagram: @joddidforschungsstelle JoDDiD YouTube: @joddidforschungsstelle5387 John Dewey Research Center for Civic Education (JoDDiD) The John Dewey Research Center for Civic Education is an innovation center in the field of civic education. Its objective is to research, advance and raise awareness of new approaches, methods and communication concepts. In doing so, it supports people in Saxony who are involved in extracurricular education with the preparation, development and reflexive evaluation of civic education programs against the backdrop of a challenging societal situation. With this in mind, the research unit focuses especially on the area of extracurricular civic education for young people and adults. The perspectives of civic education in schools are only relevant when they are related to extracurricular educational institutes. In this way, the John Dewey Research Center for Civic Education closes the gap between academic infrastructure and pedagogical educational practice in the context of professional discussion in (extracurricular) civic education for young people and adults. TUD Dresden University of Technology TUD Dresden University of Technology, as a University of Excellence, is one of the leading and most dynamic research institutions in Germany. With around 8,300 members of staff and around 29,000 students in 17 Faculties, it is one of Europe’s largest technically-oriented universities. Founded in 1828, today it is a globally oriented, regionally anchored top university, developing innovative solutions for the world's most pressing issues. In research and academic programs, the university unites the natural and engineering sciences with the humanities, social sciences and medicine. This wide range of disciplines is an outstanding feature that facilitates interdisciplinarity and transfer of science to society.