We develop a variety of programmes, tools and approaches that equip young people with the capabilities to create meaningful positive change and strengthen peace and social cohesion in their communities. As part of our mission, we make selected resources publicly available for facilitators, civil society and community organisations to use in their own work.
One such resource is the Active Citizens Facilitator’s Toolkit, created as part of our Active Citizens programme, which ran from 2009 to 2021. Although the programme has now closed, the toolkit remains accessible for anyone wishing to draw on its methods and learning.
About the Active Citizens programme
From 2009 to 2021, the Active Citizens programme promoted intercultural dialogue and social responsibility as essential leadership skills. Through partnerships with nearly 1,500 organisations in over 80 countries, the programme:
- trained over 12,000 facilitators
- supported more than 380,000 participants (“Active Citizens”)
- helped launch over 17,000 social action projects
- reached diverse communities, from the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, to urban neighbourhoods in East London, to communities affected by post-election violence in Kenya, and internally displaced people in Sri Lanka
The programme strengthened trust, mutual understanding and sustainable development by equipping people to engage with their identities, meet their own needs and value the needs of others. Many Active Citizens continue to use these skills to take meaningful social action in their communities today.
Active Citizens facilitator’s toolkit
The Active Citizens facilitator’s toolkit contains everything needed to design and deliver an impactful community-based training programme. It includes:
- step-by-step guidance for facilitators
- learning outcomes
- explanations of key concepts
- case studies from global contexts
- practical delivery checklists
This toolkit is fully self-serve and available for download below.
Licence and permissions
The toolkit is available to everyone and can be shared under the Creative Commons licence CC BY-ND 4.0. This means that you can use, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially, under these conditions:
- You are required to credit the British Council as the creator of the toolkit and provide a link to our website.
- If you change the toolkit in any way, you are not allowed to distribute the modified toolkit to a wider public without prior written permission from the British Council. Please use this Contact Us link to request permission.
- However, you are allowed to use and distribute the modified toolkit to a small group without prior written permission from the British Council provided that you indicate that changes were made from the original.