- 1. Jason Wood
De Montfort University
May 2011
Young People and Active Citizenship
2. Citizenship is difficult to define
It can carry significantly different meanings. It has no essential
or universally true meaning (Crick 2000: 1).
It is what philosophers call an essentially contested concept
(Lister 2003: 14)
It concerns status and membership usually of a state.
It is also a normative ideal (Coffey 2004), a set of practices
which define a person as a competent member of society (Turner
1993: 2)
3. Multiple Citizenship
Wood 2009: 15
4. Key perspectives
Status and membership
Liberal and rights perspectives
Civic Republicanism
Communitarianism
5. Why the interest in young people?
Generalised concern with young people
Political engagement
Social and moral behaviour
Other issues
6. Young peoples definitions and experiences of active
citizenship
7. Young peoples definitions
Stage 1 focus group data
8. Young peoples definitions of active citizenship top
concepts
Making decisions
Having rights
Giving and receiving respect
Having control
Caring for others
9. Institutional
Society
Community
Proximate
Society
10. The active citizenship axis
|| 10
11. Table 18 - Frequency of types of responsibility
** Category 10 adapted from Smith et al 2005: 173-174
12. The Context of Active Citizenship Formation
Institutions
Offered programmes that were explicitly seeking to promote active
citizenship
Offered programmes that certainly lent themselves to an active
citizenship agenda but this was not cited as a key goal.
The Community
13. Problem 1: Adult approval
We were pissed off about the canteen stopping its breakfast
servicesome pupils only get their breakfast at school[so we] set up
a campaign with some others, got a petition to [the headteacher]
and we managed to get our breakfast club back.
Its about what they think is important and what will help the
school in their view. An example I can give is when all the boys
wanted to make a basketball area on the playground and we had a
meeting about it with [a teacher] but they said that we couldnt do
it, so it was kind of left really.
14. Adult approval
To what extent is participation possible, or indeed desirable,
without adult approval?
What are the limits?
How are these limits communicated?
15. Approval: key points
Certain acts of participation are deemed acceptable and receive
adult endorsement or approval (no surprise).
But reasons for non-approval are not explained by adults, so young
people do not understand the differences between what is acceptable
and what is not.
16. Problem 2: responsible responsibility the case of hanging
around
I think [being responsible] is making sure that we dont hang
aboutthey dont like us to meet around here and its probably not
responsiblebeing responsible probably means being at home.
I think we get a bad name because we spend so much time in a
grouppeople can be scared of us because were a group.
17. But
I love being with my mates we can meet up after school cause we all
go to different places in the day. Im not really mates with people
at school We hang around the bus shelter...
Theres not really anywhere to go to be with your friends [in the
town] but we like to hang out together wherever really. I dont want
to be a loner.
I like it down my estateits near my yard and my friends so its
easy. In the summer its the best you can play footie down at the
grass, its like our own patch that people know is ours.
18. Responsible responsibility
What definitions of socially responsible behaviour guide our work
with young people?
To what extent do we defer to the most powerful voices in
determining what is responsible behaviour?
19. Perceptions of risk and responsibility
A group of young people spend lots of their evening time with each
other, hanging around local shops and communal areas. They used to
hang around the front of the local supermarket. Following
complaints by residents (but not by the supermarket), they were
continuously moved on by the police. Eventually, they began to hang
around a local communal garden before again, being moved on by the
police. When asked by the researcher why they chose these two
areas, they said they were very near to their homes, and friends,
and they were safe and well lit. There was a local playing field
but they were scared to go there due to adult strangers hanging
around at night. Eventually, after being continuously moved on from
the two safe places, they went further away from the estate and
ended up by a railway track. One of their friends was messing
around on the line when he was fatally hit by an oncoming
train.
20. Problem 3: Control
Punitive control: these were elements of control used to exclude
young people on account of their behaviours that were seen as
problematic to the wider community. Frequently this was associated
with being moved on or being banned.
Paternalistic control: these were forms of control specifically
determined as underpinned by care. Young people usually determined
that this form of control was often about being kept safe from
harm, usually in terms of the very things that were linked to
decision making, i.e. the use of leisure time or public
space.
21. My Mum tells me that I shouldnt hang around the park because
all sorts of bad shit goes on there. Theres a pervert who hangs
around at night and all the crackheads go down there as well. She
thinks Ill cause trouble get involved with them and do that shit
[punitive] or Ill get hurt or something [paternalistic].
22. Controls
Controls (both internal and external) are necessary for human
wellbeing. How do we work with young people to engage with, accept,
challenge and reject controls imposed by others?
23. Acceptance/rejection of controls
Respect
Theres no point trying to behave if people already think youre up
to no good.
Validity
wise to the lies [laughter]its like saying that well all die if we
just have a drink now and then, or get pissed at the weekend with
our mates, it doesnt make sense so we dont listen.
Integrity
its a different rule for them
24. Overarching themes
The difference in definitions of social and moral responsibility
and activism, and consequently the approval that comes with a
preferred definition.
The importance of recognising subjectively rational behaviour by
young people.
25. But
The fact remains that young people are rarely given opportunities
to contribute and yet, as important stakeholders in society, young
people have much to contribute to [] the formulation of a relevant
and effective education for citizenship.
(Osler and Starkey 2003: 244)
26. Moving from Active to Effective
