LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION ON THE ROAD TO RES PUBLICA: PREPARING YOUNG PEOPLE FOR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN ALESP

Abstract

This paper addresses the particularity of legislative education in terms of the nature of its institutions, scope and objectives, specifically with regard to its position in the political field of democracy. The educational potential of the political field is discussed through the application of the concepts of active political habitus and political cultural capital, and its character is understood as a tool to support the construction of the democratic-participatory way of life (citizenship) and its institutions (Rule of Law and Civil Society). It works to develop competences and skills, especially among young people, which will enable them to become active political agents. In particular, considering that education, and in particular education for citizenship, is a second generation human right, but one that permeates all the others, legislative schools become agencies for realising the right to build conscious and engaged citizenship. Finally, Alesp's contribution to political education, through the Instituto do Legislativo Paulista, is presented in the form of the Youth Democracy Programme, a set of actions involving courses and experiential activities in Parliament.