Rethinking Youth Citizenship After The Age Of Entitlement PDF Download

In youth research, conventional notions of the 'mainstream' and of linear transitions to adulthood forged through a straightforward school to work transition have been usurped by the complex and diverse nature of young people's lives. This has increasingly disengaged young people from formal politics and community activity, resulting in a breakdown in structured pathways to adulthood, diminished relevance of formal institutions and disintegration of traditional civic affiliations. This report summarises the key findings from the Rethinking Youth Citizenship: Identity and Connection project. The aim of the project was to gain a greater understanding of the changing nature of citizenship and identity for young people in Victoria. The key findings are that: young people cannot be expected to engage in traditional ways because of increasing life responsibilities and the absence of structural conditions that would support such affiliations; young people today experience social membership through leisure rather than traditional civic associations; young people's political engagement is about having a say in the places and relationships that have an immediate impact on their wellbeing rather than in traditional forums; young people recognise and are concerned about local, national and global issues but struggle to be heard and act on these; family, friends, school and the internet are increasingly important sites for developing civic and political engagement; new methodologies for gauging and generating youth participation need to be developed.