Call for abstracts | 27th Annual CiCea International Conference 2026
Call for abstracts | 27th Annual CiCea International Conference 2026
Building Young People's Civic Journeys: Strengthening Democracies through Citizenship Education
Thursday, 28 – Saturday, 30 May 2026
Abstract (300 words) submission deadline (EXTENSION): 7 March 2026
Main Conference
We are pleased to announce and invite abstract submissions for the 27th CiCea International Conference. The conference is organized by the Children’s Identity & Citizenship European Association (CiCea), one of the leading organizations promoting the teaching and research of Citizenship Education in Europe and beyond, in collaboration with the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP), a leading research institution in Portugal and worldwide with over 30 years of history. CIIE has long embraced its mission of developing high-quality research on key issues of educational processes and social change, in order to broaden the role of education in promoting equity, inclusion and active citizenship.
Conference Theme
Democracies around the world have been confronted with the rise of populist, authoritarian and extremist discourses and movements. In parallel, there is extensive discussion and concern about the erosion of youth engagement and participation in civic society, with many young people facing journeys marked by precarity and uncertainty, coupled with alienation and detachment from civic institutions and processes. Governments and others invest considerable time and resources in designing and delivering citizenship education and participation programmes and initiatives. We know, however, that the ‘civic journeys’ of children and young people are often fragmented and disconnected, meaning that many do not have equal or sufficient opportunities for civic learning and participation as they grow up.
Against this backdrop, the conference will explore children and young people’s civic journeys, seeking to examine how, when, and where they learn about and actively participate in democracy and society more widely (and/or the barriers to their participation), as they grow up and analysis of connections and coherence in systems of provision and practice, and what measures may be taken to further encourage their civic learning and participation.
With this in mind, we welcome papers in relation to the conference theme, from a range of stakeholders, including, but not limited to:
- young people analysing their lived experiences;
- practitioners (teachers, social pedagogues, youth workers, community educators, etc.) discussing their practice;
- researchers (including research students) presenting on aspects of their empirical, philosophical, or conceptual research;
- teacher educators (and those from allied professions) and other academics, reflecting on teaching and learning (curriculum design, methods, etc.);
- policy-makers working in formal education or with non-governmental organisations discussing the potentialities and constraints of policy design and delivery.
We also welcome papers focusing on all other aspects of citizenship education and values from around the world, exploring inter alia curriculum design, pedagogy, psychology, youth identities, law, human rights, history education, and policy-making.
Submitting an Abstract
If you wish to present at the 2026 Conference, you will need to submit an abstract for consideration of no more than 300 words via the CiCea Proposal Submission Link by or before 7 March 2026. All submissions are double blind reviewed.
Interested parties are invited to follow the proposed Conference Application and Abstract Composition Guidelines, available by clicking here (2026 updated version forthcoming). This conference accepts papers in English only.
Participation in the conference can take several different forms:
- PAPERS are presented as a standard presentation, for which you will have 15 minutes with time for questions and discussion.
- SYMPOSIA will consist of a collection of three-to-four linked papers, presented by a group together. Please note, you must submit an abstract outlining the overview of the symposium and short abstracts for each of the contributing papers.
- ROUND TABLE: a focused, interactive session where a moderator guides several experts and the audience in an open, collaborative discussion on a specific topic
- WORKSHOPS are interactive 90-minute sessions.
- POSTERS - a visual presentation of research that must be concise, clear, and visually appealing CLICK HERE FOR POSTER GUIDELINES
- VIRTUAL PAPERS- a limited number of 15-minute virtual prerecorded presentations will be accepted and must be submitted at least two weeks before the opening date. The presentations will eventually be available on the CiCea YouTube Channel. CLICK HERE FOR VIRTUAL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
Submitted papers will be eligible to be included in the Conference Proceedings. The conference is supported by the journal Citizenship Teaching and Learning, and papers of high quality will be referred to the journal for consideration for publication.
Proposals for the Main Conference
Proposals are invited on the conference themes. Participation in the conference can take several different forms:
Papers - are presented as a standard presentation, for which you will have 15 minutes with time for questions and discussion.
Symposia - will consist of a collection of three-to-four linked papers, presented by a group together.
Workshops - are interactive 90-minute sessions.
Poster - Click here for CiCea's Poster Presentation Guidelines for 2026.
Virtual Paper - Click here for CiCea's Virtual Paper Presentation Guidelines for 2026. A limited number of virtual pre-recorded presentations and online presentations will be accepted this year.
Link for Abstract Submission: Abstract Submission Link.