Youth Organisations: Key providers of non-formal education (Authors: Yves Paquet & Gabe van Wijk)
Written by Yves PAQUET 11-05-2010
Changing the behaviour of young people is of strategic importance. One of the most important challenges that education policy makers will have to face in the coming years will be to find ways to increase recognition of the value of non-formal education among young people. And regarding this year’s CSD theme sustainable consumption and production, we believe that raising awareness through non-formal education for Sustainable Development plays a crucial role in establishing the needed consumption and production patterns.
In the past decade, non-formal education has received increasing attention in policy, research and practice at international levels in the past decade, particular encouraged by international actors such as the Council of Europe and the European Union. But at the same time as non-formal education moved into the focus of policy, certain shortcomings with regard to its understanding and interpretation got obvious: The understanding of what non-formal education exactly is, should be and may achieve, might pretty much differ across the world. For some, it includes educational programme provided by the Ministry of Education apart from the schools and colleges. For others, it means educational programmes like schooling provided by non-governmental agencies (NGOs) while others link it with other educational traditions as global education or educacion popular.
However, we believe that youth organisations should be valued as key providers of non-formal education by e.g. supporting the work of youth organisations and recognising them as bodies representing and teaching youth. There are several examples for successful youth work in the field of non-formal learning. In Germany, youth groups or classes can participate in youth guided city tours where they learn about sustainable consumption through interactive games at common places in the city, like clothes shops or supermarkets. In the Netherlands, the national youth council is working together with highschools to compose a so-called ‘energy diet calendar’ in which students have to fill in their day-to-day energy savings measures. In Belgium, young students learn how to sort waste through games. On the global level, the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have launched a new badge on “food security and climate change”. These are just a few examples of voluntary non-formal education projects driven by youth organisations. But in many cases, young people’s contribution and the related skills and competencies acquired in non-formal learning environments are not sufficiently valued. This remains a challenge for youth organisations in attracting volunteers and participants, and for those who do volunteer, a range of hurdles in creating opportunities based on recognition of their contribution appears.
When someone talks about "learning," the image that comes to mind is that of lectures inside a classroom. But learning continues outside the established formal educational system. The assets of non-formal learning are their specific, practical, democratic and community related nature. Therefore, non-formal learning might be the best way to tackle the current lack of awareness about sustainable consumption and production. We strongly believe that youth can play a crucial role as agents of change. This requires a more in-depth investment in their capacities. We recognise the fact that formal and non-formal education are complementary. Furthermore, the integration of sustainable consumption as a cross-cutting issue in the curricula and the integration between both formal and non-formal learning are of additional importance.
Non-formal education practice is the fundament of education within voluntary youth organisations. It is the instrument of developing youth leaders in voluntary associations and it is the instrument of reaching and involving thousands of young people in their communities. We believe that the time has come for youth organisations to actively engage in the process of recognition and highlight their role as non-formal educators in society.
