The current Special Issue has been inspired by the Seventh Annual Conference on Citizenship Education that was held in Roehampton University London, on 26–27 September 2019. This conference explored how citizenship education can promote young people’s civic and political engagement, particularly those of disadvantaged backgrounds. Discussions focused on the effectiveness of diverse formal and informal educational programmes and activities across Europe. Contributions to the conference drew on various theoretical arguments, utilised a wide range of methods and techniques, and concluded with practical strategies. As editors, we prioritised the contributions of early career researchers and those that highlight helpful strategies to improve social equality and provide equitable distribution of learning resources among underprivileged groups. After two years’ close collaboration among academic editors, journal editors and authors, this Special Issue is finally released in 2021 with seven papers.
This editorial aims to inform a wide range of stakeholders, including academics, early career researchers, students, educational practitioners and policymakers, of the background and contribution of the Special Issue. It is divided into four parts. In the first part, we explain why social inequalities in civic and political engagement are problematic. In the second part, we focus on a review based on the existing research to explore what has been done concerning education, particularly citizenship education, to promote the citizenship outcomes of disadvantaged youth and mitigate social inequalities in such outcomes. The third part will introduce the published Special Issue papers and emphasise how these papers contribute to the field. Finally, we highlight the following steps and future directions for the area.