Exploring the Future of Global Citizenship Education: SOLIDAR Call for Researchers
Introduction
SOLIDAR, a prominent European network comprising civil society organizations, trade unions, and social movements, has long been dedicated to advancing social justice both in Europe and beyond. Central to SOLIDAR’s mission is its commitment to lifelong and lifewide learning, facilitated through the SOLIDAR Foundation. The Foundation functions as a hub for both policy initiatives and the educational needs of its network, fostering an inclusive learning environment aimed at empowering citizens and enhancing democratic engagement.
As part of its ongoing efforts to promote inclusive learning and sustainable societies, SOLIDAR Foundation is launching a call for experts to contribute to the development of a policy paper on Global Citizenship Education (GCE). This paper will serve as the third and final installment in SOLIDAR Foundation’s policy cycle on GCE, running from 2023 to 2025, which examines the topic from multiple perspectives.
Background and Objectives
Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has been a key focus of SOLIDAR Foundation’s network, with its members across Europe and beyond actively engaging in various forms of educational practices. These efforts span both formal and non-formal education, reflecting the diversity and breadth of the SOLIDAR membership. The Foundation’s network includes organizations that provide informal and non-formal education, as well as partners of formal education institutions. This broad approach ensures that GCE is seen as a learning process that bridges both informal and formal educational settings.
The SOLIDAR Foundation’s membership shares a collective goal: to achieve social justice through education, ensuring that all learners, regardless of their background, have access to quality public education that is lifelong in nature. With this common vision, members have developed a shared understanding of what GCE entails. This definition conceptualizes GCE as political education on a global scale, aiming to foster a sense of belonging to a global community and encouraging active participation in societal issues. This, in turn, is seen as essential for contributing to a peaceful, just, and ecologically sustainable world.
In 2023, SOLIDAR Foundation released the first publication in this three-year cycle, “We All Belong: The Role of GCE in Supporting Democratic Participation and Addressing Current Global Challenges”, which explored recent policy developments related to GCE at the European level. Building on this foundation, the second publication, released in 2024, delved into the relationship between GCE and democratic participation, highlighting the potential for political investment in GCE to enhance democratic engagement, particularly in transnational elections like those for the European Parliament.
The upcoming policy paper, set for release in 2025, will take this research further by focusing on the impact of GCE on reducing inequalities. Specifically, it will investigate how learners from diverse socio-economic backgrounds experience GCE and how this influences their participation in democratic processes and community life. The primary goal is to generate meaningful policy recommendations that promote the mainstreaming of GCE across various educational frameworks in Europe.
Key Objectives of the Publication
The upcoming policy paper will aim to:
- Map the provision of GCE for learners from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, highlighting innovative practices in the field.
- Investigate whether certain socio-economic groups are disproportionately deprived of access to GCE, and explore how this relates to their participation in democratic processes and community life.
- Offer policy recommendations to European policymakers, advocating for the widespread integration of GCE across all forms of education to better support democratic participation and address inequalities.
Application Process for Experts
SOLIDAR Foundation is now seeking expert(s) to draft this pivotal policy paper. Interested researchers should submit their applications electronically to Elisa Gambardella ([email protected]) and Alexandra Matthys ([email protected]) by March 31, 2025.
Applications should include:
- A copy of the researcher’s CV.
- A document containing:
- A proposed methodology and timeline for the research.
- A critical review and comments on the research question and concept as outlined in the objectives above.
- A provisional literature review.
- Proof of experience with similar research assignments.
Timeline and Activities
The timeline for the project is as follows:
- Call for tenders published: February 18, 2025
- Deadline for applications: March 31, 2025
- Proposal evaluation: April 1–4, 2025
- Communication of results: April 10, 2025
- Cooperation agreements signed: April 21, 2025
- Policy Round Table (Brussels): May 12–20, 2025 (exact date TBD)
- Check-in and feedback meetings: June & July 2025
- First draft submission: September 8, 2025
- Final draft submission: October 7, 2025
Financial Support and Payment Terms
The budget for this project is EUR 5,000 (including VAT). Payments will be made in two installments:
- 30% of the total support upon signing the cooperation agreement.
- 70% upon submission of the final approved report.
Criteria for Selection
Researchers will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Experience in producing research for EU-level advocacy purposes.
- Peer-reviewed publications relevant to the topics of GCE, democracy, and social justice.
- Previous collaboration with civil society organizations (CSOs) is an asset.
- Affiliation with a university or research institution is preferred.
- Quality of the proposed research methodology, including feasibility and timeline adherence.
Proposals will be assessed for their ability to critically review and address the research questions, as well as the strength of the proposed methodology and literature review.
Application Process:
Applications need to be submitted electronically to Elisa Gambardella ([email protected])
and Alexandra Matthys ([email protected] no later than Monday 31st March 2025, at
midnight.
Join Us in Advancing Education for Social Justice
SOLIDAR Foundation continues its mission to foster education that supports a just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Through collaborations with experts and organizations committed to social justice, we strive to ensure that education empowers learners to become active global citizens. Don’t miss the chance to contribute to this vital policy work!
