Civic education and doing democracy
Kids today don’t care about anything, they are not involved. You have heard that before from adults. They lament, the complain. How do we get kids to participate in civic life? To care about issues outside of themselves.
Adults usually have these views because they do not spend much time around young people. Moreover, they define involvement and civic participation narrowly, as voting or membership in particular organizations. This discounts all of the ways that young people are involved in civic life and making change in their communities.
Young people certainly care and even work to help other young people care about their communities. In my article, Preparing for Democracy, I show the ways in which community-based organizations in the Bronx are teaching young people the skills of civic participation and community change. You can read it here: Preparing for Democracy
