Civic education

Inclusive civic education fosters democratic resilience and meaningful participation in democratic life.

When people lack information about governance structures and opportunities for civic engagement, they are unable to effectively exercise and defend their democratic rights and responsibilities and hold their government to account. Civic education helps to build an engaged citizenry that can participate effectively in political processes and resist the proliferation of disinformation, corruption and electoral fraud. IFES supports educators and civil society to catalyze informed, mindful and active civic participation through:

  • Formal civic education courses through partnerships with universities.
  • Democracy summer camps that promote youth civic engagement.
  • New technology, including online games and social media campaigns, to expand the reach of civic education initiatives to diverse groups.

Civic education covers broad concepts underpinning a democratic society, such as the respective roles and responsibilities of citizens, government, political and special interests, the mass media, and the business and non-profit sectors, as well as the significance of periodic and competitive elections. It emphasizes not only citizen awareness but citizen participation in all aspects of democratic society.

Explore our resources linked here to learn more and get involved.

IFES Mentions

View All
Nothing was found. Try our Search.

IFES Democratic Resilience Lab

IFES designs, tests and deploys innovative strategies and capabilities to strengthen democratic resilience and counter backsliding and authoritarianism.

Focus Areas

IFES joins with others to tackle the most pressing issues for democracy and elections today.