Youth Civic Engagement in the Twenty‐First Century

“…research it is time to center on young people’s already existing skills, experiences and knowledge here and now: ‘In assessing the civic mindedness of youth, it is important to focus on their current interests and not on what might have been interests in another era’ (Youniss et al. 2002, 127).”

“At this age youths are engaged in the maturing of their identity and of their relationship with society (Atkins & Hart, 2003; Yates & Youniss, 1998; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“…& Francis Environmental Education Research, 2015 Vol. 21, No. 4, 612–630, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.927830 (Liarakou, Kostelou, and Gavrilakis 2011; Schusler and Krasny 2010; Youniss et al. 2002), similar research in China is relatively limited (Johnson, Johnson-Pynn, and Pynn 2007).”

“Adolescents may only be given voting rights when they turn 18, yet in their families, their schools, their communities and among their peers, they are already active in the organisation of public and private spheres of life – increasingly via the interactive medium of the Internet (Boyd, Zaff, Phelps, Weiner, & Lerner…”

“Groups that believe that their formal participation in normal democracy does not matter, also disengage (Checkoway & Gutierrez, 2006; National Commission on Civic Renewal, 1998; Putnam, 2000, Sherrod et al., 2010; Syvertsen, WrayLake, Flanagan, Osgood, & Briddell, 2011; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“Youth's community connectedness may be expressed through volunteer, organizational, and/or political activities (Youniss et al., 2002) that, in turn, constitute important conduits to social capital (i.e., opportunities to gain knowledge and non-material resources through social relationships;…”

“…individual level, people become civically engaged as a result of factors concerning personal attributes, resources and values, as well as personal influences, coming from their parents (Kelly, 2006; Youniss et al., 2002), friends (McClurg, 2006), or even school teachers (McLellan & Youniss, 2003).”

“Civic propensity reflects a developmental perspective on volunteerism, which views civic competence or civic mindedness developed during adolescence as promoting civic participation later in life (Youniss et al. 2002; Youniss and Yates 1997).”

“Broadly defined, civic engagement refers to the attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, and skills that are aimed at improving society and are derived from the interest in contributing to the common good; it implies an understanding of how society functions, and the acquisition of beliefs, competencies, and behaviors that al…”

“Youniss et al. (2002) noted that definitional elements of civic engagement are “open to debate” and that there are many “viable” definitions, which include: knowledge of government structure and functions; attitudes toward proper political behavior; and behaviors such as voting, commitment to…”

“Various networks and socialization agencies allow individuals to approach political engagement: from family (Gordon, 2008; Youniss et al., 2002) to school (Andolina, Jenkins, Zukin, & Keeter, 2003; Youniss et al., 2002), passing not only through social class (Mohai, 1985) or peer group (Gordon &…”

“: +1 631 848 8720; ff), involvement (i.e., political activities that seek to change the existing political or social structure, including protesting or boycotting; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“For example, Youniss and colleagues address the importance of civic engagement in positive development (Metz et al., 2003; Youniss et al., 2002); the role of spirituality in reducing risk behaviour and promoting positive behaviour has also been a topic of investigation within the PYD framework…”

“It has been noted by a number of writers (Putnam 1995; Youniss et al. 2002 ) that when it comes to civic engagement, young people do not seem to respond enthusiastically to what is seen as a collective rather than an individual responsibility.”

“Approaches to civic education vary immensely, in part reflecting fundamental differences in their conceptualisation of what it means to be a ‘good’ citizen (see, for example, Gibson 2001; Battistoni 2002; Youniss et al. 2002; Kirlin 2003).”

“…embodies certain characteristics (e.g. interactivity, abundance of information, anonymity, and multimodality) as well as content, which not only appeal to young people but also help in their mobilization and empowerment (Lupia & Philpot, 2003; Welp &Wheatley, 2012; Youniss et al., 2002, p. 138).”

“Programs such as community service or debate teams develop students’ citizenship skills (Homana, Barber and Torney-Purta, 2006; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“Civic engagement is an essential component of community improvement, and it is considered to be a pillar of a democratic society (Almond & Verba, 1963; Flanagan & Faison, 2001; Granovetter, 1973; Putnam, 2000; Sánchez-Jankowski, 2002; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“Whereas, we generated synonyms and overlapping terms for “urban agriculture” and “youth” ourselves, we used four highly cited articles (Youniss et al., 2002; Adler and Goggin, 2005; Einfeld and Collins, 2008; Ekman and Amnå, 2012) to identify search terms that reflect different aspects and variations of “civic engagem…”

“This activity, however, often takes place through nongovernmental forms of engagement, as, for example, when young people make their voice heard at demonstrations or volunteer for charities (Youniss et al., 2002; Zukin, Keeter, Andolina, Jenkins, & Delli Carpini, 2006).”

“Moreover, it is necessary for multiple sectors of society to be intentional in preparing youth to become civically engaged (Youniss et al., 2002).”

“Loyalty, citizenship and notions of belonging take on new meanings in these changing global conditions (Youniss et al , 2002 ) as young people make choices about levels of participation and performances of civic identity that are tied to space and time (Thomas, 2005 ).”

“In the West, there has been an overwhelming concern about young people’s apathetic political attitudes (Putnam, 2000; Youniss et al, 2002), and these worries have productively triggered the development of rigorous studies trying to explore reasons behind youth (non)participation (Gordon & Taft,…”

“Lastly, Youniss et al. (2002) note the importance of media in including young people in the Civitas, helping them overcome their language barriers, and drawing them into political discussions and civic engagement processes.”

“Technology and civic life While service learning has remained a large component of civic education, recent research has begun exploring the potential of new technologies to engage young people in civic activities (Blumler and Coleman 2001; London 1997; Youniss et al. 2002).”

“As research globally on youth civic participation demonstrates, young people do politics primarily outside the formal political sphere (Gaiser, De Rijke, & Spannring, 2010; McAdam & Brandt, 2009; Tilley, 2002; Watkins, Larsen, & Sullivan, 2007; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“Civic engagement is a multidimensional construct comprised of behaviors, values, attitudes, and knowledge (Amnå, 2012; Sherrod & Lauckhardt, 2009) that are rooted in young people’s day-to-day lived experiences with family, peers, school, community, laws, and injustice (Youniss et al., 2002).”

“( 2002 ) have highlighted that there have been debates on the inclusive description of citizenship.”

“Scholars posit that political participation among adolescents is preparation for adult political participation and includes a spectrum of actions from the formal and traditional forms of involvement to extra-parliamentary and community-oriented engagement (Youniss et al. 2002).”

“Civic engagement can be broadly understood as “the interactions of citizens with their society and their government” (Adler & Goggin, 2005), in which young people usually take an active role (Youniss et al., 2002).”

“…chicas participen, empiecen a asumir responsabilidades y se sientan parte de nuestra sociedad, por lo que deben contemplarse no sólo desde el punto de vista de la labor social desarrollada, sino también como un recurso fundamental para promover la competencia de los jóvenes (Youniss et al., 2002).”

“org/ Page 4 and critically aware youth often become change agents for social movements, including movements that work toward the cultural shift that is needed to deal with global climate change (Karan, 1994; Quiroz-Martinez, Wu, & Zimmerman, 2005; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“In fields such as education or community and developmental psychology, both children and society are thought to benefit from young people voicing their opinions and actively participating in social problem solving (Chawla, 2002 ; Youniss, Bales, Christmas-Best, Diversi, McLaughlin, & Silbereisen, 2002 ).”

“The scope of these actions ranges from indi - vidual volunteering, involvement in civic organizations, online activism, to political protest (e.g., demonstrating), and traditional political participation (e.g., Youniss et al., 2002 ).”

“Voter participation among 18 24 year olds also experienced a sharp decline in the past 30 years or so in the western world (Youniss et al. 2002, Adsett 2003, Bynner et al. 2003, Gauthier 2003).”

“…juvenil (INJUV, 2004, 2007), documentando sus efectos para el desarrollo de competencias (Silva & Martínez, 2007; Velásquez & Martínez, 2004; Youniss et al., 2002) y las condiciones que favorecen el desarrollo sociopolítico en los jóvenes (Ginwright & James, 2002; Watts & Flanagan, 2007).”

“…of international aid and development studies, there is a growing body of literature examining the new forms of youth politics, activism, entrepreneurialism and civic engagement emerging in the twenty-first century (Youniss et al. 2002, Kelly 2006, Wishart et al. 2006, Juris and Pleyers 2009).”

“Such authors as Youniss, Bales, and Christmas-Best (2002) and Cooper (1999) further developed ideas of individuation into broader models of social participation.”

“Specific examples of youth civic engagement include participating in positive activities with family and community members including sharing, volunteering, or voting [13,23,24].”

“For some scholars CE includes all the activities that are carried out with the aim of improving the community (eg, Youniss et al, 2002 ) in public and non-profit contexts (Obradovi & Masten, 2007 ).”

“cratic states (Kassimir & Flanagan, 2010; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“…that civic engagement involves primarily commitment to political activities, there is an increasing consensus that civic engagement includes a variety of behaviors carried out with the intent to improve the community (Flanagan & Faison, 2001; Youniss et al., 2002), in public and nonprofit contexts.”

“Moreover, such an approach is open to the consideration of the positive potential that might arise out of challenging circumstances (Flanagan, 2013; Youniss et al., 2002), such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“In some contexts, youth are both less interested in politics and less politically active than older citizens — at least when looking at formal political engagement (Youniss et al., 2002: 126).”

“…history and social science courses advance models of cultural transmission from one generation to the next, a tradition centered on promoting social reproduction while often ignoring student voice and the increasing diversity in American society (Galston, 2004; Ross, 2004; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“Civic engagement is considered a near-universal dimension of youth development and an essential element of resilient democracies (Flanagan and Levine 2010; Youniss et al. 2002), a particular concern in transitional states where democracy lacks a record of stability.”

“are explicit goals of a comprehensive civics education (Haste, 2004; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“…community organizations (Metzger and Smetana 2009; Torney- & Orna Braun-Lewensohn ornabl@bgu.ac.il 1 Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution Program, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beersheba, Israel Purta et al. 2001; Youniss et al. 2002).”

“Accounting for the perspectives of others and considering how our own perspectives shape the way we understand and relate to others is an important competence for participation in public dialogue and civic life in a democracy (Youniss et al., 2002).”

“Late adolescence is a particularly critical period for the development of sociopolitical orientations (e.g., Erikson, 1968; Sears & Levy, 2003; Wilkenfeld et al., 2010; Youniss et al., 2002).”

“…identity by “framing a view of the world and how one should relate to ‘others’ in that world” (Flanagan & Faison, 2001, p. 10), and they play an important role, along with siblings and extended family, “in igniting and passing on a spirit and praxis of participation” (Youniss et al., 2002, p. 130).”

“International studies of youth civic participation (Flanagan et al. 1998; Torney-Purta 2001; Youniss et al. 2002) do not provide sufficient depth of analysis of Middle Eastern countries.”

“For example, Youniss et al. (2002) point out that when it comes to civic engagement, young people do not seem to respond enthusiastically to what is seen as a collective rather than individual responsibility.”

“While families, schools, service activities and other forms of political involvement may provide ‘raw material’ such as ‘knowledge models and reflective matter’, it is youth who make sense of these experiences (Youniss et al., 2002).”

“(Jane, personal communication, February 4, 2013) Although not overtly political, her work was civic, defined broadly (Youniss et al., 2002), and she was cognizant that meaningful civic education includes informal education and opportunities for engagement in real community issues (Youniss & Yates,…”

“Similarly, service learning, which engages students in community service that is integrated with course material (King, 2004), is expected to help youth internalize identifications and commitments (Youniss et al., 2002; Youniss and Yates, 1997, 1999).”

“In many Western societies, there is concern about the political disengagement of young people – because of their assumed apathy or disenchantment with political cultures and politicians (see Youniss et al. 2002; Lister 2004).”