The Compass project “New pedagogic methodologies for politicizing training of union reps” aims at raising the consciousness of trade unions and trade union representatives about the importance of democratic principles, rights and values, in order to foster pro-democratic attitudes and encourage active participation in governance.

Set against a background of a decline in democracy and increasing pressure on labour rights in Europe, the Compass project focuses gathering knowledge, exchanges practices and experiences, networking and capacity building around democracy.

The Compass project will identify training practices and programmes from trade unions around pro-democratic attitudes and action, contextualising those through an historical analysis of trade union education.

Building on critical pedagogy, Compass will develop novel training materials (including a toolbox and train-the-trainer programme), aimed at fostering pro-democratic skills, first among trade union representatives, and later on among workers.

The project comprises activities in four target countries – Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary and Spain – and at a transnational level, including workshops and seminars.

Key project materials will be made available in multiple languages, to assure their accessibility. To this end, the project counts on a close collaboration between trade unions, union training centres, research institutes and leading transnational organisations.