In the last three decades, civic education programs have become recurring in many parts of the world. Such programs have as principle formulator the commitment to instill democratic values, demystify the world of politics and foster interest in the work of the legislative. This article examines the cognitive process of learning of the participants of the main civic education program developed in Minas Gerais, the Parlamento Jovem (PJ). As also discusses the reasons why civic education programs such as the PJ to obtain opposite results than expected. Moreover, this paper presents the intricacies of the construction of political knowledge among the participants and the impact of the PJ. The analysis is based on data obtained in the quasiexperimental study "The young Parliament as locus of political socilaization?".
The Young Parliament; civic education; civic engagement; affect; policy cognition
