Critical ChangeLab publishes policy recommendations to strengthen democratic education and resilience in Europe

October 2025 – The Critical ChangeLab (CCLabs) project announces the publication of its Policy Recommendations on Youth, Democracy and Education, developed through three years of participatory research and experimentation with young people across Europe.

Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, Critical ChangeLab has worked with over 80 groups of young people aged 12–18 in 11 European countries, co-developing educational methodologies that help build a more resilient European democracy amid growing geopolitical, technological, social, and ecological challenges.

At a time when the European Union and its member states are striving to defend democracy from both internal and external threats, these recommendations underscore the central role of education in fostering democratic skills, attitudes, and competences among youth. Despite this, recent studies reveal that the education sector has suffered one of the largest declines in public investment across Europe, putting democratic and innovative education at risk.

The new policy paper calls for a renewed commitment to democratic and citizenship education in Europe, offering fresh insights from practice to update and inspire policy developments. It argues that empowering young people to navigate and shape democracy requires transformative educational approaches that connect democracy with creativity, technology, ecology, and active citizenship.

The policy document outlines four transformative approaches to democratic education, and presents ten key policy recommendations for EU and national stakeholders, educators, and institutions to:

• Reinforce deep democratic competences among young people;
• Integrate participatory, creative, and critical methodologies in education;
• Support educators and institutions experimenting with democratic innovation;
• Reaffirm education’s central role in building societal resilience and defending democracy.

The Critical ChangeLab Policy Recommendations are now available online in English and will be presented during the project’s final dissemination events across Europe.

About Critical ChangeLab (CCLab)

CCLab is a European initiative co-funded by the Horizon Europe programme, coordinated by the University of Oulu (Finland) in partnership with Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), University of Barcelona (Spain), Waag Society (Netherlands), Ars Electronica (Austria), Kersnikova Institute (Slovenia), LATRA Innovation Lab (Greece), Tactical Tech (Germany), European Alternatives (France), and the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb (Croatia).

The project brings together universities, civil society organisations, and cultural institutions to design inclusive spaces where young people can develop critical literacy, experiment with democratic participation, and co-create more just futures.

Press Contact

Marta Cillero Manzano
m.cillero@euroalter.com