CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION AND YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN DEMOCRACY (original) (raw)

ABSTRACT:

Citizenship education in established democracies is challenged by declining youth participation in democracy. Youth disenchantment and disengagement in democracy is primarily evident in formal political behaviour, especially through voting, declining membership of political parties, assisting at elections, contacting politicians, and the like. If citizenship education is to play a major role in addressing these concerns it will need to review the impact it is making on young people in schools.

This paper reviews a major national project on youth participation in democracy in Australia set in the context of a national citizenship education programme. The Youth Electoral Study found that citizenship education in Australian schools has at best been marginally successful and substantially more is required to raise levels of democratic engagement. The paper explores many opportunities available to education systems and schools to address these issues through reconceptualising aspects of the formal and the informal curriculum.

13. Acknowledgement

The author wishes to acknowledge the funding support for the Youth Electoral Study from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Electoral Commission and the support of his co-researcher Professor Larry Saha, Australian National University.

1This paper is based on a keynote address delivered at the Second CitizED International Conference, Oxford University, July 2006.