In the Erasmus+ project “Bildung”, Bildung is envisaged as an “individual maturing process connecting education, knowledge, upbringing, culture, and personal responsibilities towards humans and our globe.”
The paper “Democracy and Bildung” aims at a reconceptualisation of adult learning and education through the lens of democratic participation, elaborating on a sense of adult education through the Bildung approach.
Using the Bildung approach within democratic education creates links between democratic institutions, understanding and using democratic rights and the ability of the individual to intervene, resist and change.
The paper presents four examples of existing good practices that highlight the concept of democratic Bildung from Spain, Finland, Estonia and Switzerland. Additionally, the paper provides concrete recommendations for democratic adult education. The recommendations concern civil society, communities, adult education institutions, courses and learners.
The authors from DAFNI KEK Adult Education and Research Centre and the Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres agree that “Democracy is not a given and depends on people wanting it. It has to be learned over and over again.”
Read the paper Democracy and Bildung
or read about it on EPALE.
How to promote democratic Bildung?
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Bildung project contributes to innovation of the European adult education sector by adopting the holistic concept of ‘Bildung’ and exploring its political and practical potential for adult learning and education. Follow the project on social media: #BildungALE