Too many evenings. Learning Democracy from a Participatory Budget Process

Abstract

In this article, I reflect on experiences linking adult education to citizenship and participation. I consider citizenship to be connected to social justice and social inclusion. I suggest that a key element in citizenship is participating in public issues which concern life in communities in order to build an egalitarian relationship among people. In this article, I connect participation to a singular experience: the Participatory Budget Experiment in the city of Seville from 2003 to 2007. I explore specific experiences within adult education through participatory research and the elaboration of teaching materials addressed to this end. Finally, I reflect on the consequences of these experiences for an emancipatory adult education that aims to teach and learn democracy.