Strengthening democratic and civic literacy within AE practices

As an advocacy-based organisation, AONTAS works hard to strengthen democratic and civic literacy within adult education practices in Ireland.

AONTAS, in partnership with nine organisations across Europe, has been working on a project called Citizens Xelerator. This project aims to strengthen the democratic and civic literacy of adult learners.
People in Ireland have recently voted in local and European elections, a referendum, and are anticipating a General Election in Autumn. With this political change and recent community tensions, democratic literacy and social empathy are particularly significant in Ireland.

During this project, partners developed resources for adult educators to promote democratic literacy and social empathy in their countries. These included the LifeComp Cards Collection, a tool to help adult learners identify personal, social, and learning competencies. Another resource developed during this project was the Citizens Xelerator Model and Kit, which provides a structured approach for adults with unmet literacy needs to enhance their literacy and promote democratic and civic engagement. With the resources, AONTAS and other project partners implemented many different activities across Europe.