CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION – A CENTRAL TASK Relevant references also draw on current debates on transformative or “change-oriented” ALE. The classical concept of “transformative education” according to Mezirow must be distinguished from CE, as the former only refers to biographical and individual learning. The model of “change-oriented” ALE offers important starting points, especially for the social dimension of CE. Change-oriented ALE aims to empower people to shape change. This explicitly takes the societal aspect into account by enabling learners to build a democratic, just and ethical world together, even against resistance. Finally, it is worth noting the danger of generalising West- ern concepts of democracy or societal construction globally, especially when defining the objective of CE. CE starts from the universality of human rights. It must be emphasised that, from our experience, the possibilities of implementing CE offers depend strongly on the political and cultural system. In this context, it is not always per- missible to assume a Western understanding of democ- racy that focuses strongly on political aspects, favours representative forms and places individualistic concepts at the centre. Our approach: cross-cutting, regional, needs-oriented Citizenship Education is a core concern of DVV Inter- national. DVV International works worldwide to over- come disadvantage, improve sustainable livelihoods and promote the human right to education. CE is a central concept for achieving these goals. The terms “empower- ment, development and dignity”, which are attributed to Citizenship Education in the RALE report by UNESCO, are core attributes of the holistic, broad-based approach to adult education that DVV International pursues. Our understanding goes far beyond the acquisition of skills and knowledge. Rather, education enables people to develop an understanding of themselves and their own social and political environment and to empower them- selves to act effectively. More than other educational sectors, ALE is oriented towards the specific needs of people, a basic prerequisite for the success of Citizenship Education. DVV International understands Citizenship Education not only as a concrete curricular component, but rather as a central cross-cutting issue. This cross-cutting nature of CE is closely linked to the basic idea of our inter- sectoral approach, which we pursue in our work. In our projects, we link different concepts and learning contents with each other, depending on the framework condi- tions on the ground. For example, we link literacy pro- jects with contents of democracy education, and we link income-generating measures with gender issues. There is probably no DVV International project in which the basic ideas of Citizenship Education cannot be found. At the same time, the specific perspective on CE can be very different in the more than 30 countries where we work in cooperation. DVV International in practice Numerous DVV International projects illustrate the effec- tive intersectoral linkage of Citizenship Education as a cross-cutting theme in adult education. A look at various projects in Asia and Africa shows the different regional and local perspectives and framework conditions. Mali – integrated literacy strengthens participation More than other educational sectors, ALE is oriented towards the specific needs of people, a basic prerequi- site for the success of Citizenship Education. ALE makes it possible to respond to the individual circumstances of each learner. This includes regional, political and cultural conditions as well as individual learning and educational levels. Unlike school, vocational or academic education, ALE is able to be flexible in its form and can be designed as a formal, non-formal or even informal learning process, depending on the framework conditions and learning needs. The inhabitants of rural communities in Mali often do not have any official documents, neither birth certificates nor information about their family status. The main reason for this, apart from poor local administration, is the high illiteracy rate (64 percent) in the African country. The con- sequences of this situation are manifold and range from lack of access to schools and to health and social ser- vices to inheritance issues and denial of the right to vote. The consequences of a lack of documents are thus both personal and political. 2 D V V I N T E R N A T I O N A L