Building regenerative approaches to civic engagement: reflections from CPS's Erasmus+ mobility project

Over the past year, the Centre for Peace Studies has successfully implemented a staff mobility project co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme in the field of adult education. The project, which ran from December 2023 to June 2025, aimed to equip CPS educators, staff, and volunteers with new tools and knowledge to enhance civic engagement and promote sustainable, inclusive learning environments.

At its core, the project sought to address three key challenges in our work:
- The need for new pedagogical approaches that nurture long-term civic engagement,
- Strengthening staff and organisational capacities for developing participatory learning environments, and
- Building sustainable, cross-border partnerships that support knowledge exchange and innovation.

To respond to these challenges, CPS defined the following objectives:
- To acquire knowledge and skills for designing and delivering regenerative pedagogies tailored to civic engagement;
- To increase the capacity of staff to use innovative and empowering curriculum resources;
- To foster learning environments that support collaboration, creativity, and responsive leadership;
- To develop long-lasting partnerships with European educators and organisations to enable exchange and mutual learning.

Although CPS faced limitations in internal capacity that affected the initially planned number of mobilities, the organisation successfully facilitated the participation of both staff members and volunteers in high-quality training programmes such as the Sustainable Activism course led by Ulex Project in Spain. These intensive learning experiences provided participants with methods for creating supportive, inclusive and engaging educational spaces, rooted in wellbeing, collective care, and active citizenship.

Project outcomes have already begun shaping CPS's internal practices and educational programmes. Participants shared their learning with colleagues through peer mentoring and reflective sessions. New approaches were embedded in the design of our Peace Studies Programme and other civic education activities. These practices include improved facilitation techniques, framing strategies, and methods for responding to burnout and disillusionment within civil society.

Notably, the project helped bridge a generational and experiential gap by enabling the inclusion of younger and newer volunteers, many of whom are from underrepresented communities. It also strengthened CPS's connections with other European organisations, paving the way for deeper collaboration and participation in future Erasmus+ initiatives.

By investing in learning that is holistic, inclusive, and participatory, this project has made a lasting contribution to the way CPS works with communities in Croatia and beyond. We are grateful for the support of the Erasmus+ programme and look forward to building on these foundations in our future educational work.