DATA IN ACTION
Overall, this cycle promises to provide valuable insights that can shape the future of civic and citizenship education.
findings from a Swedish longitudinal study on the political socialization of young people from ages 13 to 28. The main takeaway is that young people are active agents in their own political development, rather than passive objects of socializing institutions such as family, peers, schools, media, and civil society. This perspective is informative for our work as it highlights the importance of looking at youth as proactive participants in civic life who form their attitudes and behavior in interaction with multiple socialization agents. What makes you excited about Mondays? Andrés: Mondays are a bit of a roller coaster. I wake up with a list of ambitious goals, and by lunchtime, I'm debating with myself over which ones are absolutely essential for world peace... or at least a productive week. More seriously, what excites me the most about Mondays is the chance to engage with a worldwide network of dedicated professionals and tackle educational challenges. It's this sense of shared purpose and potential for real change that makes Mondays a day I genuinely look forward to. Magda: Mondays are a time of new beginnings and opportunities. I see them as a chance to regroup, refocus, prioritize, and set our intentions for the week ahead. Contributing to something as meaningful as advancing civic and citizenship education globally is definitely something to be excited about. ■
What have you read recently that you recommend? Andrés: I recently read two very interesting books: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Harari. These books offer a broad perspective on humanity's past and potential future. Harari is a unique historian because instead of studying specific periods of humanity like the Renaissance, he focuses on the truly grand stories of Humanity. For example, how did it happen that human beings are now the dominant species on the planet when, at some point, we were on equal footing with reptiles or birds? How did we go from being a group of primates “minding their own business” to building cities like the ones we inhabit today? How did we come to have quasi-divine powers, such as the ability to extend our life expectancy, or create artificial intelligence? The answer, according to Harari, is because we are the only species capable of collaborating flexibly, in large numbers, and for long periods, and because we do that through the stories we create and believe. I believe that analyzing these stories is essential for understanding the foundations and the future of our civic and citizenship values. Magda: We are currently engaged in extensive reading as part of our efforts to update and broaden the ICCS framework. I’m currently reading a recent book by Håkan Stattin titled Understanding Adolescents’ Political Agency: Examining How Political Interest Shapes Political Development . This book presents a comprehensive body of empirical
Understanding Adolescents’ Political Agency: Examining How Political Interest Shapes Political Development.
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