Identifying democratic processes: What happens in my school / college / town

Cristina Stan

The perfect image of teenagers

- educated

- serious

- responsible

- good citizens

- obedient children

- willing to change, improve

- sure about what they want

How teenagers really are:• Irresolute

• Irresponsible

• Willing to try anything new

• Non-conformists

• Disinterested

• Attracted to prohibitions

Democratic process in schools

How teachers see it:

”Silence education”

How teenagers see it:

Democratic process in town

Positive: • Voting• Meetings of citizens• Unit (helping others)• Empaty (donations)

Negative :• Protests, uprisings

Youth Participation in the Democratic Process

Democracy

Democracy : demos= people; kratos= power

--> Form of organization and political leadership of the society

in which the supreme power is exercised by the people

In a state, the decision making process belongs to the• Parliament ---> representants chosen by citizens• President ---> chosen by citizens

==> the power belongs to the citizens

Citizens are responsible for their choises,

the situation of the country indirectly,

by their vote.

Human Rights

1. International human rights treaties 2. Principle of equal rights and equal opportunities 3. The right to defense and the principle of non-discriminatory

access to justice 4. Right to life, right to health, and the right to a healthy environment 5. Individual liberty and freedom of movement of the individual 6. Intimate, inviolability of the home and secrecy of correspondence 7. Freedom of conscience 8. Freedom of expression 9. Freedom of information 10.The right to education and access to culture

Human Rights

11 . Citizen's right to vote and to be elected

12 . Citizen's right of legislative initiative

13 . Citizen's right to organize and participate in public meetings

14 . Freedom of association

15 . Work and the right to strike

16 . Economic freedom

17 . The right to private property and the right to inheritance

18 . Protection of children and young

19 . Protection of Persons with Disabilities

20 . Right to petition

21 . The right of a person aggrieved by a public authority

22 . Restriction of certain rights or freedoms

Participatory democracy

- There is evidence to suggest that young people are unlikely to become more interestedin voting with increased age.

- An interest in politics begins to become more apparent when people become taxpayers, mortgage-holders and ‘stakeholders’ with something to lose as well as gain.

The reaction of young people regarding:

- the right to vote: they are sceptical about the capacity of the political process to deliver positive change

- information: conditioned by the proximity of it

- media (television): ignorance

!!! Media is the forth power in a state.

INFORMATION = POWER

Research

A BMRB/CYPU (British Market Research Bureau / Children’s

and Young People’s Unit) survey in the UK explored how much interest 14-19 year olds had in politics and revealed that 59% had either ‘not very much interest’ or ‘none at all’. This lack of interest and participation has been related to a range of factors including, personal or convenience issues, levels of voter registration, apathy and alienation.

10,000 young people aged 15-24 and found that 48% felt that they did not have enough opportunity to influence decisions at a community level with this increasing to 52% when influencing decisions at a national level.

----> lack of trust /disinterest

----> lack of knowledge

----> lack of transparency

---->NO POLITICAL EDUCATION

(little citizenship education )

Reasons for young people’s apathy for political world and voting:

• Limited opportunities to participate in the political process;

• Ignorance or lack of knowledge about how to participate;

• Feeling they have better things to do;

• Perceiving that there is a lack of interest in their views; and

• Believing there is no point in voting because it is unlikely to bring about change.

Young people want politicians to:

• Talk to them in a language they understood;

• Talk to them directly, regularly and in their own environments;

• Listen and respond to their concerns; and

• Respect their diversity.

Participation in the Democratic Process

• Petitions

• Strikes

• Letters

• Badges

• Internet

• Involvement with a Trade Union

• Pressure Groups such as Greenpeace

• Conferences

• Boycotts

• Protests/marches

• Leaflets/flyers

• Community Groups

• Youth Councils

• Plays, songs or films to make a point.