Citizens’ organisations and movements

The power of volunteering

Volunteering remains a cornerstone of civil society engagement and participation. It offers individuals the space and opportunity to contribute to causes they care about and to engage at levels they are comfortable with depending on their capacity and context. Volunteering can also contribute in a unique way to community-building and involvement. It does this by promoting civic engagement and responsibility in individuals and it can be a way for individuals to develop skills, gain experience, and build social networks. Volunteering can take different forms and can happen in a variety of different settings. This can be from individual to group levels, from local and grassroots initiatives to large-scale movements, from informal frameworks to formally organised structures. Often volunteering is considered to be an integral part of citizens organisations and movements.

Education and student engagement

Study circles are a common practice within educational settings and are a versatile educational method and practice. They work especially well with smaller groups because they foster dialogue, an exchange of views, mutual learning, and problem-solving. They can also represent an empowering way for their participants to be engaged in community-building within educational settings as they encourage the building of networks and higher levels of engagement both educationally and socially.

Student councils on the other hand are more formal structures with a distinct and essential role within school, universities and other educational institutions. They give students a forum where they can come together to amplify their voices in educational governance. These more formal structures often work with the governing bodies of their educational institutions in order to represent student interests, to organise initiatives, and advocate for change.

In Vocational Education and Training (VET) or adult education settings, organisations like apprentice unions offer a similar platform for students to raise their voices and to participate in decision-making. Apprentice unions and VET student organisations have a similar role, they help to bridge the gap between education and employment. They ensure that students’ rights are upheld and their voices are heard in the transition to work.

Lastly, in the wider context of education, there can be other forms of organisations beyond the students and learners. For example, there can be associations of alumni, parents, teachers or other education professionals, and there can be educational advocacy groups.

Citizens’ organisations, associations, movements and councils

Citizens’ organisations, associations, movements and councils, function as spaces and platforms for social change and collective action. They usually focus on specific areas or issues, for example the environment and climate change, human rights, democracy, inclusion, and equality, etc. They can have a closed or open membership with specific criteria, or they can be open to all individuals. They can organise actions just for their members or for any individual interested.

When defining the four terms; organisations, associations, movements and councils, there may be overlap in the definitions, but each has a distinct form and structure:

• Citizens organisations are structured, usually non-governmental groups formed by individuals. Their aim is to influence public policies, to provide services to their members (and beyond), or to foster civic engagement. They usually have a formal legal recognition, for example as a non-profit organisation.
• Citizens associations are also structured. They are formed by individuals or other entities, usually with the aim of promoting the interests of their members. They often have formal legal recognition and are focused on a specific sector, industry or profession. They provide a structured platform for citizens to pursue collective goals.
• Citizens movements are informal and more loosely structured. Their aim is to conduct social, political or cultural actions, with this being their core characteristic. There is a cause or a set of beliefs driving their actions and they usually operate with an open membership. They can be offline or online movements, with the online generally utilising social media.
• Citizens councils are formal bodies which are often created by or operating within governments or institutions. They function as advisory or decision-making structures. Usually citizens are a part of these councils in a representative capacity, representing either other individuals or other entities. They are usually legally recognised and established, they are highly structured with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes.

These structures can exist in a variety of settings or fields and they can hold different characteristics and interests than described above, depending on their unique context.

Connecting through networks and foundations

Networks usually connect various actors or entities across geographic, thematic or professional lines. They can be different networks of civil society organisations, governmental bodies, scientific societies, professional groups, or other types of entities or individuals. They can come in the form of coalitions, forums, networks, or platforms. These types of networks enhance the reach and influence of their membership by creating spaces for exchange, joint action, and collective impact. They also foster collaboration across borders, enabling different types of actors to address global challenges with coordinated responses.

Charitable foundations can also have a similar role to networks from the perspective of fostering collaboration, creating opportunities and spaces, and being used as enablers for advancing individual or group action.

Citizens’ structures are essential pillars of democratic participation as they enable individuals to advocate for change and keep those who hold power accountable. They also contribute to community engagement and to more participatory governance, by providing spaces for collective action, learning, and empowerment. The diversity of organisations across citizens groups, backgrounds and contexts, reflects not only the diversity and the dynamic nature of civil society, but also the very diversity of society itself. This makes such structures a key component in fostering inclusive, democratic, and peaceful communities.

The explanations and terms used in this article are particularly based on the analysis of the research of Norris, P. (2002), Hutter, S., & Kriesi, H. (2013), and Van Deth, J. W. (2014).