What is the EpD?

“Education for Development refers to an educational process aimed at raising awareness of world reality and facilitating tools for participation and social change in the areas of justice and solidarity. Education for Development wants to build citizens who are critical, politically active and socially committed to fair and equal human development in all the communities in the world” (Celorio, G., López de Munain, A.: Diccionario de Educación para el Desarrollo, 2007).

EfD sets out from the debate on development and globalisation, proposing a review of the socio-political foundations that support the neoliberal model and its impact on an educational model designed to reproduce it. EpD takes the paradigm of human and sustainable development and turns it into a pedagogical pledge for social change in the three traditional areas of educational actions: formal, non-formal and informal education.

This learning is made up of 4 dimensions (awareness-raising: education-training; research; political influence and social mobilisation) which are interrelated, which can give rise to a large number of actions and can be promoted by different public and private agents. The interaction of these dimensions is presented as being necessary for social change.