Young people are instigators of social change - so how can they best be integrated into society?

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Young people are instigators

of social change – so how

can they best be integrated

into society?

Democratic participation is a right and duty for every citizen, but it’s important that each new

generation feels welcomed and respected in the body politic and feels that their contributions

are appreciated. Following years of austerity, that have disproportionally aected Europe’s

young people, encouraging them to engage both politically and socially in a positive manner is

crucial. One EU-funded project has been investigating the best ways in which to enable this.

“Young people are instigators of social change, driven, in part, by

the challenging circumstances that prevent their social progress:

lack of opportunities, resources and respect,” begins Dr Jo Deakin,

coordinator of the PROMISE (PROMoting youth Involvement and

Social Engagement: Opportunities and challenges for ‘conflicted’

young people across Europe) project. “The aim of our research is

to explore young people’s responses to these challenges, focus-

ing particularly on youth who encounter conflict with authorities.”

Stigma, labelling and

stereotypes: A toxic concoction

In particular, the notion of stigma and labelling are key sources of what

causes young people to switch off from social and political engage-

ment. “Young people need to feel that they belong in order to truly

engage,” explains Dr Deakin. “Our research found that a key factor

CORDIS Results Pack on elections and democratic participation

Understanding turbulent political times through innovative EU-funded research