By Team TECE
As the AdB and Tisch College of Civic Life project, the Transatlantic Exchange of Civic Educators (TECE) comes to a close after more than a year of vibrant exchange, a newly released publication looks at what has been accomplished and future directions of the work. The publication includes insights on civic learning from German and US-American perspective by experts in the field, reflections from TECE Fellows on their learnings from the fellowship, and recommendations for advancing transatlantic civic youth work in the future.
The overarching goal of the TECE project has been to investigate the feasibility and value of U.S.-German exchange in the field of civic learning and to identify which topics and formats are most relevant for further exchange. The project has taken initial steps to build a network of multipliers in the field, to encourage and support the development of partnerships for future projects and to expand opportunities for transatlantic professional development to new audiences.
Alongside an outline of the project’s accomplishments, we are pleased to present contributions from U.S. Consul General Darion Akins and Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation Michael Georg Link, MdB on the importance of transatlantic exchange and civic education. Interviews with Kristen Cambell (PACE), Kirsten Dallmann (Bildungsstätte Bredbeck) and Tim Scholz (Jugendbildungsstätte Kurt Löwenstein) provide insights into essential questions about civic education and politische Bildung. Articles from two working groups of TECE Fellows reflect on history as an entry point to dialogue and civic education and a comparative exploration of political polarization with focus on civic education’s role as to it, respectively. In a contribution on learnings from TECE and the future of transatlantic civic youth work, project organizers present recommendations for strengthening and opening new opportunities. Finally, we hear from TECE Fellows directly about key insights from the experience.
Participants in the TECE Fellowship have had the opportunity to look beyond national discourse to critically question and think innovatively about youth civic education. With this publication, it is hoped that a new, broader audience may also find insights from this unique opportunity for transnational learning.
The publication, which is in English, can be accessed here.