Civic education increasingly takes place in a society in which shared spaces for everyday encounters and informal exchange are becoming rarer. Since 1994, more than half of all restaurants and pubs in Germany have closed. Traditional regulars’ tables are losing importance, and places where people can enter into conversation with one another in an informal setting are increasingly lacking. At the same time, party memberships have been declining for a long time. As a result, social meeting places and opportunities to discuss everyday experiences, political perceptions and social conflicts in direct exchange are disappearing. This development is relevant for democracy. Where spaces for encounter are lacking, opportunities to voice concerns, change perspectives and locate political questions in everyday life also decline.
Outreach civic education addresses this gap. The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung implements this approach through the Demokratiegestalter-Tour and the Dorfliebe project. The Democracy Bus creates opportunities for dialogue, discussion formats and information offers directly in cities and municipalities. Dorfliebe takes an accessible approach in rural areas and brings citizens into conversation with decision-makers. Both formats follow the same basic idea: civic education is effective where it creates proximity between citizens and politics, connects with lived realities and enables direct exchange.
Accessible formats, personal encounters and a credible perception of neutrality are key prerequisites for reaching people beyond traditional civic education offers. Outreach civic education should therefore be directed specifically towards regions where political distance, social burdens and a lack of alternative offers come together. Trained staff and links to local occasions make a substantial contribution to success. In the long term, punctual deployments are not enough. Trust emerges above all through continuous presence, the opportunity to articulate concerns openly and the experience of being taken seriously.
