For many adults with low literacy, voting can feel out of reach. Without the confidence to register, understand political messages or evaluate candidates, some people simply opt out.

In Dublin’s North Inner City, a community-based course is changing that by giving people the knowledge and support to take part in democracy in an informed and meaningful way.

Understanding how democracy works

The Active Citizenship Voter Education Programme is run by the Dublin Adult Learning Centre (DALC) under the remit of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. Adult Literacy Programmes delivered by Education and Training Boards such as CDETB are co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) in Ireland.

DALC works to ensure that everyone in the community can develop their literacy and numeracy skills. Through this project, it also supports learners to better understand their rights as citizens, especially their right to vote and to be heard.

The programme is non-party political and designed to be inclusive, accessible and empowering. It creates space for people to ask questions, explore issues that affect them, and gain the confidence to participate in democratic life.

Connecting personal priorities with political issues

The programme is designed to make political engagement less intimidating. Participants explore the history of voting, learn how to register, and discuss how decisions made in government relate to their everyday lives.

Participants are encouraged to identify the issues that matter most to them and then match those priorities with the policies of candidates. Through these discussions, they also develop their critical thinking skills – a key focus of the programme.

The course covers four main areas: the value of voting, political issues and messaging, evaluating candidates, and understanding how different levels of government – local, national and European – affect daily life.

One participant explained: ‘It made me appreciate the privilege of voting. The discussions encouraged critical thinking and debate.’ Another added: ‘I was surprised at how much I learned and how much I enjoyed it.’

Reaching people across Ireland

Since its launch, the programme has engaged over 80 groups across adult and community education settings and trained more than 200 tutors across Ireland. It works closely with civil society organisations, literacy networks and electoral bodies to widen its reach.

In 2025, the programme received the AONTAS STAR Award in the Global Citizenship category and was also shortlisted for an ESF+ Special Recognition Award. These achievements reflect its growing national impact.

By helping people become more informed voters, the programme strengthens both individual confidence and community participation and contributes to combat disinformation about political participation. For many learners, this is about more than just gaining information – it’s about gaining a voice.