The main purpose of ACTE is to exchange good practice methods regarding EDUCATION OF ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP. The resulting knowledge will be shared with stakeholders in all partner countries, through the production of project results. Skills in field of citizenship are considered by the EU (see the recommendation of 22 May 2018) one of the 8 key competences for lifelong learning, which, like the others, contributes to employability, personal fulfillment, health, to participation in public life and social inclusion. The recommendation defines citizenship skills as the ability to act as responsible citizens and to participate fully in civic and social life, based on an understanding of social, economic, legal and political structures and concepts as well as global evolution and sustainability. Hence the “intersectivity” of the main theme of the ACTE project and the possibility that the results of the project can be reused in different educational contexts (formal and non-formal), in different cultural and socio-political scenarios, in different levels of education and training. Citizenship education, using innovative methodologies and digital tools, can be inserted into different training programs and be useful to encourage active participation in public life, as well as inclusion, since it is a transversal competence, necessary to become active and aware citizens, able to share common values and to deal positively with each other. The partners are aware that the importance of educating to active citizenship does not only concern young people, but involves all age groups transversely, because it helps both young people and adults to exercise judgment and critical thinking, to develop a sense of individual and community responsibility, to be involved in local communities and in democracy at all levels. Even more in adults it can become an important tool, not only because "learning to participate" includes skills, such as digital literacy, self-entrepreneurship, social and intercultural awareness that are often lacking in that part of the so-called "low skilled" adult population, but also because it can be an effective tool for contrasting both social exclusion (including the phenomena of racism and intolerance that in recent years have increased in many EU countries), both functional and return illiteracy, that reducing the ability to understand the complex society in which we live, in fact limits the level of participation in public life and the use of democratic tools The results of the intense work of exchange of good practices, that will be carried out thanks to the ACTE project, will flow into the construction of an handbook, which will be published in the form of an E-Book and will be the main result and subject of dissemination. It will summarize all the good practices and methodologies analyzed, the research and input provided by the partners, in English and in the language of the partners .. The goal is to produce a useful tool, for this reason many (free) dowloads are provided by teachers, training centers and persons involved in various ways in adult education. For this reason, the partners will promote the dissemination of the results and products of the project, both in the national contexts of the six countries involved (ITALY, GERMANY, PORTUGAL, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, LATVIA and SPAIN), on European networks and platforms (eg EPALE, Europe Direct) involved in various ways in EU policies, so that other associations, social enterprises, training institutes and universities promote non-formal education initiatives for adults in the field of participation and active citizenship, also understood as bridges to formal education; towards the labor market and social inclusion.
Through the ACTE project the following objectives were achieved by the partners: - identify through a research in each participating country which are the "obstacles" to the active participation of citizens, in terms of lack of information, communication and cooperation between stakeholders, gaps in basic IT knowledge. - promote the exchange of good practices on teaching methodologies and training courses for active citizenship education for adults; - strengthen the skills of the staff involved in the training of adults in terms of education to citizenship; - collect, develop and innovate tools available in various countries for learning active citizenship; - build an e-book, which collects the good practices and results of the project, to promote education for active citizenship for adult learners.
The main purpose for which the partners have applied the ACTE project is to exchange methods and good practices in the field of education for active citizenship. The partners are aware that active citizenship education transversally involves all age groups of learners, because it helps both young people and adults to exercise critical thinking, to develop a sense of individual and community responsibility, to be involved in local communities and in democracy at all levels. Even more in adult learners it can become a very important competence, not only because "learning to participate" includes skills, such as digital literacy, self-employment, social and intercultural awareness - which are often lacking in that part of the so-called adult population " low skilled "- but also because it can be an effective tool to combat both social exclusion and functional or return illiteracy, which by reducing the ability to understand the complex society in which we live, effectively limits the level of participation in life public and the use of democratic tools.