Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Taking citizenship education beyond the classroom
The Youth Citizenship Commission has published findings from detailed research conducted with young people and their parents about citizenship education in England.
The researchers conducted a series of interviews, questionnaires, discussion groups and forums with 90 13-25 year olds and 90 adults over a four month period. The final report was published in July 2009.
The report found that young people in England had a good understanding of citizenship following citizenship education being made statutory in secondary schools in 2002. However, there was a gulf between this understanding and their experiences outside of the classroom, even within their own school.
Whilst the theoretical debates were had in Citizenship lessons about what it means to be an active citizen, there were barriers to these ideas being put into practice in many young people's lives. These barriers were a limited range of opportunities open to and presented to young people, emotional conditions for engaging in citizenship not being in place and a lack of expectation and role models for effective citizenship. Whilst there are great examples of young people who are engaged citizens and participating in community, regional and national projects, the issue of how to open these opportunities to all young people remains.
Lack of opportunities.
The research found that young people often had to seek out opportunities in their local communities for themselves and more often than not had to fit into structures and processes which were not designed for people their age. The report concludes there is a need "for schools to seek out ways for young people to effectively engage with the community" and that schools should see their role as a conduit between young people and the wider community.
Within their own school, it was widely reported by the young people that opportunities for effective citizenship were given or taken by the same few people and the focus was on the person doing the role, for example School Council Representatives, rather than on how to do the role well.
" In my school it’s just a popularity contest anyway.”
Emotional Conditions.
The research revealed that young people often did not seek out ways of being an active or effective citizen such as volunteering in their local community due to a lack of belief that they would be useful or wanted. The report identifies "building young people's confidence for engaging" as an essential emotional condition for empowering young people to be active citizens.
A second emotional barrier was identified as the perceived and real lack of trust in young people to take on responsiilities in their school and community. Many of the young people interviewed said they felt that adults did not trust them with "real " decisions and responsibilities and many of the adults interviewed also expressed concerns about giving young people too much control.
The report concludes that schools and communities have two areas to focus on to create the essential emotional conditions for successful youth citizenship:
1. The need to build young people’s confidence
2. The need to foster greater cross-generational trust between generations.
Lack of expectation and role models for citizenship.
It emerged from the research that adults not seeing themselves as active or engaged citizens was a key factor in young people choosing not to take a wider role in their communities themselves. Lack of knowledge and awareness about citizenship, politics and local issues was normalised and acceptable and so reduced expectation young people had for themselves. This was often further reinforced by the view expressed by adults that politics and community involvement was for an elite/other people.
Alongside the barriers to active engagement which emerged from the research was an interest and enthusiasm to know more about politics by young people. There was widespread agreement that Citizenship and Politics should be mandatory subjects and the research found there to be a strong desire among young people to have a better understanding of more contemporary political issues that they could relate to everyday lives. But these need to be linked to real and credible channels for young people to engage with formal politics and decision-making or order for young people to see taking part in them being part of being an effective citizen.
"Instead of having all these faux parliaments, there should be an adult whose job it is to get young people’s views and relay them to the politicians, and to explain what the people in Government are doing to the young people."
The emerging themes from the research are that to promote effective citizenship to young people requires changes in the way we run our organisations and communities to make sure the opportunities are meaningful, effective and genuine.
The report provides a useful list of principles for any school or organisation to follow.
• Engage as peer groups not individuals
• Make Citizenship a ‘lived experience’ not a theoretical debate
•Providing and facilitating the conditions for engagement. To reach out and approach young people directly; allow people to join, not self-start.
Communicate what young people can do to engage
•Make young people feel chosen, needed and special
Adapt systems and institutions to meet the needs of young people rather than expecting young people to fit into what already exists
• Expect a long-term process of change
To read the report in full click here.
Or visit www.Headsup.org.uk an online space for under 18s to debate political issues important to them through forums.