Citizenship and democracy through policy labs: inclusive transitions for participation, trust and fair governance

CITADEL is a three‑year Horizon Europe project that strengthens young people (15–29) as active, informed and inclusive democratic actors. It responds to a European context marked by rising inequalities, polarisation, misinformation and declining trust in institutions by moving beyond knowledge transmission towards competence‑based, action‑oriented civic learning. The project combines pedagogical innovation, real‑world participation through Regional Policy Labs, and robust evidence to create scalable models for inclusive, competence‑based citizenship education. Pedagogically, CITADEL designs learning that builds agency, deliberative dialogue, critical digital citizenship and intercultural inclusion. Activities include co‑creation studios, democracy‑in‑action sequences (Plan–Deliberate–Decide–Act–Review), gamified challenge‑based modules, citizen‑science‑infused inquiry and an assessment toolbox aligned to the Council of Europe’s RFCDC. Methodologically, the project establishes multi‑stakeholder Regional Policy Labs across partner countries. In these Labs, young people, educators, municipalities and civil society analyse local challenges (e.g., climate, circular economy, public health), prototype policy responses and formulate recommendations, with iterative feedback loops and facilitation playbooks ensuring equity and quality. The Labs are complemented by a Digital Training Programme (MOOC) for educators/youth workers and a Presential Training Programme for youth, both piloted and evaluated through mixed methods, including comparative pre/post measures and, where feasible, small RCTs. To ensure transferability and impact, CITADEL builds a solid evidence base. A multi‑country survey (two modules) benchmarks democratic competences and participation; findings flow into an interactive Empowerment Atlas that translates data into practical pathways for educators and policymakers. Targeted Empowerment Initiatives (TEIs)—such as photovoice, narrative building and deliberative workshops—focus specifically on marginalised youth, while evidence is consolidated into guidelines, policy briefs and replication materials. Six work packages structure delivery: WP1 manages governance, quality, ethics and data; WP2 advances the research foundations on democratic competences and inclusive pedagogies; WP3 runs the Regional Policy Labs and policy prototyping; WP4 designs and evaluates training programmes and produces the Empowerment Atlas; WP5 drives communication, dissemination and exploitation through events and a knowledge hub; and WP6 curates evidence and translates it into design guidance and citizen‑science modules. Expected outcomes include strengthened youth agency and participation; validated, scalable pedagogical tools (MOOC, presential curriculum) and policy‑lab methodologies; comparative datasets on democratic competences; an Empowerment Atlas to guide practice; and policy recommendations that support curriculum integration and institutional uptake. By linking formal and non‑formal education to real governance contexts, CITADEL builds democratic trust and social cohesion while equipping a diverse generation of young Europeans to co‑create solutions, participate meaningfully in decision‑making and resist manipulation online.