German-US-American Youth Exchanges – USA-Special 2022
Prime time for civic learning Civic education in the U.S. is experiencing what has been dubbed a “Sputnik moment”. New state and federal legislation and funding streams have sprung up as policy-makers and the public realize the importance of civic learn- ing for a healthy democracy. With increased attention, has come increased scrutiny. In a society encumbered by stark political polar- ization, civic education has not avoided being ensnared in partisan political debates, related to how to teach about race and difficult his - tories, the role of neutrality in education, and what methods are acceptable ways of engag- ing young people in active citizenship. Similar threats face youth workers and civic educators in Germany. As civic learning faces the spot- light in both countries, the opportunity to learn across contexts is all the more important.
With our project, we have convened 22 TECE Fellows (mid-career professionals in the field of non-formal youth civic learning in the US and Germany) for online and in-person exchange and engaged numerous individu- als and organizations in both countries. Our aim is to explore whether the challenges and systems of civic learning in both countries are compatible for fruitful exchange and what for- mats and topics are best suited for a US-Ger- man transfer of knowledge and experience. In so doing, our specific goals were to: » Better understand current societal trends and the state of civic learning – structures, topics, unique features - in the USA and Germany » Build a pool of transatlantic multi- pliers and concrete partnerships for future projects » Use peer-learning to share best- practice models to spark innovation and a transfer of learning to sending organizations After nearly a year conducting the project, we are able to offer several insights into the value offered by US-German exchange in the fields of civic learning and youth work, as well as the specific challenges it presents.
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