Steps toward action: Empowerment for self-responsible initiative

The passion for initiative and the ability to create social change in your concrete neighborhood, group or city is key for a democratic society. Civil engagement is something that can be supported in manifold ways through teachers, peers, activists, trainers or youth workers. The handbook seeks to support these by giving inspiration how to support learners in finding their idea for engaging.

The starting point of any civic involvement is motivation and inspiration. Therefore the first chapters cope with how to support learners to identify their inner motivation for initiating social change and self-development. The instructor, trainer or teacher has a crucial role in this regard. We introduce the idea of facilitation – a supportive, inspiring and trusting in the capacities of the learners.

From the Table of Content:

  • Equipping individuals with Competences for Action
  • Inspiring civic engagement
  • Why do people get involved?
  • Motivation
  • Realism and lasting motivation
  • Teams and support
  • Outlook: From inspiration to action
  • Glossary

The handbook was edited in cooperation between Marta Gawinek-Dagargulia, Eliza Skowron and me in the framework of an European cooperation between Austria, Germany, Poland and Bulgaria. The design is from Slav Georgiev. The font is Alegreya Sans.