What is Non-Formal Education?
Non-formal education (NFE) is any organised, intentional learning activity that takes place outside the formal school system. It is characterised by its participant-centred, experiential and process-driven approach — learning by doing, reflecting and applying.
Unlike formal education, NFE does not have standardised curricula or exams. Its outcomes are competencies: the ability to act, relate, reflect and create in real-world contexts.
| Dimension | Formal Education | Non-Formal Education |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | School, university | Youth centres, outdoors, community |
| Outcomes | Grades, certificates | Competencies, transformation |
| Role of educator | Transmitter of knowledge | Facilitator of processes |
| Pace | Standardised | Adapted to the group |
| Recognition | Formal diplomas | Youthpass + portfolio |
The CSA Model — CLAVE's Core Methodology
The CSA Model is CLAVE's pedagogical framework. It stands for three interconnected phases that guide every programme, workshop or exchange we run:
Clarification
Before acting, we clarify: Who are we? What do we bring? What are our assumptions and biases? What does the challenge we want to address really look like? This phase uses self-awareness tools, personal storytelling and group mapping exercises to create a shared starting point.
Solutions
With a clear picture of the challenge, we co-create solutions. This is a creative, collaborative phase using design thinking, open space technology and World Café formats. The group identifies what is within their power to change and prototypes responses.
Action
The final phase is about implementation. Participants plan, implement and evaluate a concrete action — a community project, a campaign, a proposal, an event. The action must connect personal learning to community impact.
Why the CSA Model works
The CSA Model is rooted in several evidence-based pedagogical approaches:
- Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle — learning through concrete experience, reflection, abstraction and active experimentation
- Paulo Freire's Critical Pedagogy — education as a process of liberation and conscientization, not mere information transfer
- Kurt Lewin's Action Research — change happens when learning is anchored in real, meaningful action
CSA in practice: a real example
In a KA152 youth exchange on the theme of "Climate Action and Youth", the CSA Model unfolds like this:
- Clarification (Days 1–3): Participants map their own relationship with nature, share stories of environmental change in their communities, and surface their assumptions about climate change.
- Solutions (Days 4–7): Working in mixed nationality groups, participants research local solutions that work, design a collective manifesto and create prototypes of community actions.
- Action (Days 8–10): Groups implement one concrete action — a public event, a community garden intervention, a social media campaign — and present their outcomes to local stakeholders.
"The CSA framework gave me a language to describe what I was doing in youth work. It's not just a methodology — it's a way of seeing people as agents of change."
— Youth Worker, CLAVE Training Programme
Learn the CSA Model
Our NFE Facilitator training course gives you hands-on practice with the CSA Model over 80 intensive hours.
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