CYP Hot Topic Talk - Educating for Public Good

A critical exploration of how active citizenship is taught in primary education.

To celebrate World Children’s Day on 20th November 2023, we invited Dr. Ali Body to present the findings of her ESRC funded research project, Educating for Public Good. 

She shared with us insight into the role of education in nurturing democracy and encouraging active citizenship, presenting the notion of the civic teacher and the civic school as central to fostering a collective sense of solidarity and empowering children and young people to become active agents of change. 

Teachers and schools play a crucial role in shaping the minds and values of future generations, providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary to become engaged and responsible members of society. 

However, there are concerns that their role as educators is changing, with less emphasis placed upon critical enquiry, contextualising knowledge and lived experience.

Dr Body is based at the Centre for Philanthropy, University of Kent.