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ts and structures, as well as a commitment to active democratic participa- 269
tion in society. Social and civic competences have, therefore, featured strongly
in European cooperation in the field of education /…/. Promoting equity, so-
cial cohesion and active citizenship through school education is also one of
the main objectives of the current Strategic Framework for European Cooper-
ation in Education and Training which extends to 2020.”2
“The civic competences needed to be able to actively exercise citizenship,
as defined by the European framework for key competences, focus on: a knowl-
edge of basic democratic concepts including an understanding of society, so-
cial and political movements; the European integration process and EU struc-
tures; major social developments, both past and present. Civic competences
also require skills such as critical thinking and communication skills, and the
ability and willingness to participate constructively in the public domain, in-
cluding in the decision-making process through voting. Finally, a sense of be-
longing to society at various levels, a respect for democratic values and di-
versity as well as support for sustainable development are also highlighted as
integral components of civic competences” (ibid.: 8).
The 2013 Eurydice study used the conceptual framework that was defined
in the 2005 study and contains three sets of goals: developing political litera-
cy, developing critical thinking skills, certain attitudes and values and foster-
ing active participation by students. The only difference is that the 2013 study
separates the second set into two parts, i.e. critical thinking (while adding ana-
lytical skills) and relationships and values. Thus the three main sets of goals are
broken up into four segments in the new version (Eurydice, 2005/2013), which
together give a definition of active citizenship that connects knowledge, val-
ues and participation in a democratic society.3 This premise is also supported
by the definition of active citizenship, which is defined by Hoskins (2006) as
participation in a civil society, community and/or political life, based on mu-
tual respect and non-violence in accordance with human rights and democ-
racy. Based on this definition, Hoskins and Mascherini (2009) produced an
operational model of active citizenship on four measurable and different di-
2 I & U 2020.
3 What does citizenship mean today? Citizenship, while not a novel notion, has recently experienced
a kind of “revival” or a widening of its meaning. According to Kymlicka (2005: 399, 400), “interest in
citizenship has been sparked not only by /…/ theoretical developments, but also by a number of
recent political events and trends throughout the world.” While speaking about citizenship in con-
temporary society, we are referring to a multi-dimensional view of citizenship, which is not limited
solely to legal relations between an individual and the state but also “expresses the competencies,
skills and abilities /…/” (Durr, Spajic-Vrkaš and Ferreira-Martins, 2005: 7). Furthermore, contempo-
rary conceptualisation of citizenship, as espoused by e.g. Veldhuis, sees citizenship separated into
several dimensions. These are: a) the political/legal dimension; b) the social dimension; c) the cul-
tural dimension; and d) the economic dimension. They can all be translated as political, social, eco-
nomical and cultural literacy. The majority opinion in discussions regarding citizenship is that this
issue needs to be understood as a mosaic of identities, obligations and rights and not as a unified
concept (Klemenčič, 2012: 116). This wide definition also applies to the concept of active citizenship.
facilitating civic knowledge – a path towards active citizenship
tion in society. Social and civic competences have, therefore, featured strongly
in European cooperation in the field of education /…/. Promoting equity, so-
cial cohesion and active citizenship through school education is also one of
the main objectives of the current Strategic Framework for European Cooper-
ation in Education and Training which extends to 2020.”2
“The civic competences needed to be able to actively exercise citizenship,
as defined by the European framework for key competences, focus on: a knowl-
edge of basic democratic concepts including an understanding of society, so-
cial and political movements; the European integration process and EU struc-
tures; major social developments, both past and present. Civic competences
also require skills such as critical thinking and communication skills, and the
ability and willingness to participate constructively in the public domain, in-
cluding in the decision-making process through voting. Finally, a sense of be-
longing to society at various levels, a respect for democratic values and di-
versity as well as support for sustainable development are also highlighted as
integral components of civic competences” (ibid.: 8).
The 2013 Eurydice study used the conceptual framework that was defined
in the 2005 study and contains three sets of goals: developing political litera-
cy, developing critical thinking skills, certain attitudes and values and foster-
ing active participation by students. The only difference is that the 2013 study
separates the second set into two parts, i.e. critical thinking (while adding ana-
lytical skills) and relationships and values. Thus the three main sets of goals are
broken up into four segments in the new version (Eurydice, 2005/2013), which
together give a definition of active citizenship that connects knowledge, val-
ues and participation in a democratic society.3 This premise is also supported
by the definition of active citizenship, which is defined by Hoskins (2006) as
participation in a civil society, community and/or political life, based on mu-
tual respect and non-violence in accordance with human rights and democ-
racy. Based on this definition, Hoskins and Mascherini (2009) produced an
operational model of active citizenship on four measurable and different di-
2 I & U 2020.
3 What does citizenship mean today? Citizenship, while not a novel notion, has recently experienced
a kind of “revival” or a widening of its meaning. According to Kymlicka (2005: 399, 400), “interest in
citizenship has been sparked not only by /…/ theoretical developments, but also by a number of
recent political events and trends throughout the world.” While speaking about citizenship in con-
temporary society, we are referring to a multi-dimensional view of citizenship, which is not limited
solely to legal relations between an individual and the state but also “expresses the competencies,
skills and abilities /…/” (Durr, Spajic-Vrkaš and Ferreira-Martins, 2005: 7). Furthermore, contempo-
rary conceptualisation of citizenship, as espoused by e.g. Veldhuis, sees citizenship separated into
several dimensions. These are: a) the political/legal dimension; b) the social dimension; c) the cul-
tural dimension; and d) the economic dimension. They can all be translated as political, social, eco-
nomical and cultural literacy. The majority opinion in discussions regarding citizenship is that this
issue needs to be understood as a mosaic of identities, obligations and rights and not as a unified
concept (Klemenčič, 2012: 116). This wide definition also applies to the concept of active citizenship.
facilitating civic knowledge – a path towards active citizenship
