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Gaming has the potential to support the development of young people's capabilities in social responsibility (SR) and, at the same time, represents a threat of developing undesired behaviour patterns. Successful integration of gaming in the lives of young people requires a systemic approach, which, to the best of our knowledge, hasn't been provided in the literature. We provide insight into this issue. In this paper, multiple methods are used. To elaborate the backgrounds on the gaming's effects and social behaviour, the literature is analysed. To assess the state-of-the art of young people characteristics, their pressing social challenges and gaming evaluation reports are analysed. The synthesis is provided and placed in the context with social responsibility properties using system dynamics. Gaming concepts, appropriate for education for SR, and relationships between young people's challenges and the players in the gaming environment in SR terms are proposed. Currently, the loop of games development is negatively propelled by the short-term games demand. We propose effective feedback loops, linking young people and their social environment, using a SR tool set to provide demands to the game providers. The experience will support the games developers to design socially constructive games, aiming to develop the desired skills and competencies in social transformation processes of young people toward SR. The proposed model provides merely an overview model, designed by the literature review and state-of-the-art analysis. To fully understand the games' effects on young people, a more detailed analysis is required.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to argue that active citizenship and organisational transparency are necessary to increase stakeholders' influence in policy processes. Active citizenship is necessary to involve stakeholders in policy processes and organisational transparency is necessary to improve communications between them and policy makers.Design methodology approach - First, this paper explains a conceptual framework to understand communications in social systems. Second, it illustrates its application with reference to concrete policies in England.Findings - It is found that for active citizenship it is necessary not only to increase stakeholders' competencies but also make effective those organisational structures relevant to the policy issues of concern. However, and this is a key reason to increase people's competencies, these structures are the outcome of self-organising processes shaped by those who are better organised, with more resources and in positions of power.Research limitations implications - Beyond informed and well-grounded dialogues, communications between citizens and policy makers happen through organisation structures that activate some resources at the expense of others and involve some stakeholders at the expense of others. Unless these structures make possible balanced communications between them, citizens will find it difficult to influence policy makers.Originality value - The paper sees the policy for active citizenship and community empowerment in England under the lens of a cybernetic framework.

PurposeStudents develop knowledge through an ongoing process of learning embodied in their daily experiences. As citizens, they develop an identity in their communities as they build relationships through recurrent interactions, thus constructing citizenship by strengthening stable interactions. This paper aims to examine the development of student active citizenship within a Jean Monnet module summer school that uses a participative approach and experiential learning.Design/methodology/approachThe research provides a multi-level systems perspective on the learning experience in a Jean Monnet module. It combines state-of-the-art analysis of the Jean Monnet modules reports, analysis of a selected module’s activities and delayed participants feedback analysis. The methodology addresses complexity at multiple levels and leaves sufficient variance to invite readers to test the approaches themselves.FindingsFirst, opportunities and gaps in the development of active citizen abilities were identified within the Jean Monnet modules. Second, it was established that the use of a participative approach and experiential learning aligned activities in the learning process yielded positive results in participant engagement. Third, long-term effects in the form of an improved understanding of active citizenship and the execution of activities in real life were also observed. The authors point to the need for active communication in the development of a full-cycle experiential learning process. Additionally, the multi-level monitoring model contributed positively towards the continual improvement of the learning process, and thus, provided a learning experience for teachers.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited regarding the clear articulation of the research results, rendering comparison with other learning experience reports challenging.Practical implicationsFor lecturers, the importance of integrating the participative approach into the student learning process is documented; the effects of experience learning on students’ active participation are presented; and the importance of systems perspective on multiple aspects of the learning process is reinforced. For students, an example of the importance of being active in the learning process and using available resources is provided. For policymakers, the paper attests to the importance of learning programmes expanding the limitations of the regular curricula and the need to support additional programmes and the benefits of a participative approach and experience learning in the process of developing active citizens.Social implicationsThe authors point to the need for authentic situational-context experience and active communication in the learning process. Additionally, the authors provide an example of systems investigation of the learning process.Originality/valueThe paper identifies the gap between the Jean Monnet modules and active citizen abilities and provides a potential approach towards reducing them. It also provides a multi-level method for monitoring and adjusting the learning process.

In this paper I explore the influence of an organisation's structure, such as that of the National Education System, in the emergence of desirable social properties. In this case the concern is schools with adequate performance. It is assumed that there is a circular causality between structure and the social results of schools. I highlight some of the structural requirements to have justice, sense of belonging, trust, honesty and cooperation as emerging properties of these schools, beyond normative statements. These are requirements for effective citizenship. In order to study this, it is necessary to observe the structures that constitute collectives into organisations. Central to this paper is a case study that I carried out at Millfield Primary School in the U.K., which focused on the observation of citizenship as a dynamic process permanently being constructed. This case went beyond the normative understanding of citizenship as established in the new school curriculum to be implemented from September 2002. I take the view that the aim of citizenship is to build up a community in which one is constituted as a citizen. For that purpose we need enabling people to build up their own communities. My conclusion from this case study suggests that current educational methodologies aim at teaching a \"model of\" citizenship rather than at providing the necessary tools to think about and create suitable spaces \"for\" citizenship. The case study shows that it is necessary to reinforce in schools practical methods to create membership and respect for others.

Purpose Students develop knowledge through an ongoing process of learning embodied in their daily experiences. As citizens, they develop an identity in their communities as they build relationships through recurrent interactions, thus constructing citizenship by strengthening stable interactions. This paper aims to examine the development of student active citizenship within a Jean Monnet module summer school that uses a participative approach and experiential learning. Design/methodology/approach The research provides a multi-level systems perspective on the learning experience in a Jean Monnet module. It combines state-of-the-art analysis of the Jean Monnet modules reports, analysis of a selected module’s activities and delayed participants feedback analysis. The methodology addresses complexity at multiple levels and leaves sufficient variance to invite readers to test the approaches themselves. Findings First, opportunities and gaps in the development of active citizen abilities were identified within the Jean Monnet modules. Second, it was established that the use of a participative approach and experiential learning aligned activities in the learning process yielded positive results in participant engagement. Third, long-term effects in the form of an improved understanding of active citizenship and the execution of activities in real life were also observed. The authors point to the need for active communication in the development of a full-cycle experiential learning process. Additionally, the multi-level monitoring model contributed positively towards the continual improvement of the learning process, and thus, provided a learning experience for teachers. Research limitations/implications The research is limited regarding the clear articulation of the research results, rendering comparison with other learning experience reports challenging. Practical implications For lecturers, the importance of integrating the participative approach into the student learning process is documented; the effects of experience learning on students’ active participation are presented; and the importance of systems perspective on multiple aspects of the learning process is reinforced. For students, an example of the importance of being active in the learning process and using available resources is provided. For policymakers, the paper attests to the importance of learning programmes expanding the limitations of the regular curricula and the need to support additional programmes and the benefits of a participative approach and experience learning in the process of developing active citizens. Social implications The authors point to the need for authentic situational-context experience and active communication in the learning process. Additionally, the authors provide an example of systems investigation of the learning process. Originality/value The paper identifies the gap between the Jean Monnet modules and active citizen abilities and provides a potential approach towards reducing them. It also provides a multi-level method for monitoring and adjusting the learning process.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the contribution of community-based research to the self-organisation of Civil Society and in particular to community engagement, policy processes and social change. Design/methodology/approach – Starting from communities own issues and organisational structures, this paper presents a methodology to create spaces for social transformation. Its approach was designing engagement programmes of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with communities’ partnerships, supported by constructed conversations, workshops and fieldwork, coproducing knowledge within community structures. Findings – The research offers evidence that supporting community empowerment and engagement with community-based research needs a deep understanding of participatory social processes. It makes visible that researchers should have more opportunities to focus their research on communities rather than on collecting data to respond to funders. Research limitations/implications – Though community self-organisation happens one way or the other effective self-organisation processes cannot be taken for granted and need further studies and elaboration. Despite current efforts it requires more studies to understand social systems and develop stronger links to active citizenship policies. Practical implications – This research contributes to communities’ engagement in policy processes and highlights the enabling role of HEIs. Originality/value – It rearticulates participatory approaches to active citizenship and learning in communities.

Michael Walzer (2002) afirma que las organizaciones de la sociedad civil se generan en procesos de auto organización pero que existen algunas organizaciones con mayor capacidad que otras para organizarse y que también es necesario que el estado provea la asistencia que requiere la vida en asociación en donde primero que todo se debe proteger a los más débiles. En este artículo, desde una visión sistémica, se intenta reflexionar sobre las competencias requeridas para un efectivo proceso de auto-organización en la construcción de lo público. Se sostiene que esto hace necesario observar las estructuras que apoyan el aprendizaje y participación ciudadana.Michael Walzer (2002) claims that self-organization underpins the emergence of civil society organizations and that some of these organizations have more opportunities than others to be effective, suggesting that it is necessary for the State to support those associations that operate in weaker contexts. In this paper, from a systemic perspective, the author reflects upon the required competencies to enable effective self-organizing processes in the construction of the public sphere, in particular she advocates the need to observe the emerging organization structures supporting citizens' learning and participation.

Learning to take part in civil society as an active citizen has emerged as a topical policy commitment in the United Kingdom, with the present government's controversial Big Society programme aiming to train 500 senior community organisers and 4,500 mid-level community organisers. Rather than speculating on these initiatives in the absence, as yet, of research evidence, this article reflects on previous government programmes to promote communitybased learning for active citizenship and the lessons that are emerging from researching these. After an introductory section, the next section outlines two approaches that were developed by the previous government: the Active Learning for Active Citizenship (ALAC) programme and its successor programme Take Part. This sets the context for the discussion in the following section of the findings from research that explored the two programmes' impacts and limitations at different levels. The final section then reflects on emerging lessons, raising questions about some potential implications in the new (although not entirely dissimilar) policy context.

The influence of an organization's structure in the emergence of desirable social properties is explored. In this case the concern is schools with adequate performance. Some of the structural requirements to have justice, sense of belonging, trust, honesty and cooperation as emerging properties of these schools, are highlighted. These are requirements for effective citizenship. It is necessary to observe the structures that constitute collectives into organizations. Central to this paper is a case study carried out at Millfield Primary School in the UK, which focused on the observation of citizenship as a dynamic process permanently being constructed. It is suggested that current educational methodologies aim at teaching a model of citizenship rather than at providing the necessary tools to think about and create suitable spaces for citizenship. The case study shows that it is necessary to reinforce in schools practical methods to create membership and respect for others.