Civic Engagement and the Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

Constance Flanagan and Peter Levine survey research on civic engagement among U.S. adolescents and young adults. Civic engagement, they say, is important both for the functioning of democracies and for the growth and maturation it encourages in young adults, but opportunities for civic engagement are not evenly distributed by social class or race and ethnicity. Today's young adults, note the authors, are less likely than those in earlier generations to exhibit many important characteristics of citizenship, raising the question of whether these differences represent a decline or simply a delay in traditional adult patterns of civic engagement. Flanagan and Levine also briefly discuss the civic and political lives of immigrant youth in the United States, noting that because these youth make up a significant share of the current generation of young adults, their civic engagement is an important barometer of the future of democracy. The authors next survey differences in civic participation for youth from different social, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. They explore two sets of factors that contribute to a lower rate of civic engagement among low-income and minority young adults. The first is cumulative disadvantage—unequal opportunities and influences before adulthood, especially parental education. The second is different institutional opportunities for civic engagement among college and non-college youth during the young-adult years. Flanagan and Levine survey various settings where young adults spend time—schools and colleges, community organizations, faith-based institutions, community organizing and activism projects, and military and other voluntary service programs—and examine the opportunities for civic engagement that each affords. As the transition to adulthood has lengthened, say the authors, colleges have become perhaps the central institution for civic incorporation of younger generations. But no comparable institution exists for young adults who do not attend college. Opportunities for sustained civic engagement by year-long programs such as City Year could provide an alternative opportunity for civic engagement for young adults from disadvantaged families, allowing them to stay connected to mainstream opportunities and to adults who could mentor and guide their way.

Exploring Asian students’ citizenship values and their relationship to civic knowledge and school participation

“…In addition to these external influences on civic engagement, schools themselves have also been identified as important sites promoting civic engagement. TorneyPurta et al (2001), Flanagan, Martínez, Cumsille, and Ngomane (2011), Youniss (2011 and Flanagan and Levine (2010) found that students' engagement in extracurricular activities in high school and their feelings of social connectedness to community institutions predicted voting and other forms of civic engagement in young adults. Jahromi, Crocetti, and Buchanan (2012), in cross-national studies, compared community-oriented and political civic engagement activities and intentions among adolescents in Italy and the US.…”

Exploring Challenges Faced by Students as they Transition to Social Justice Work in the “Real World”: Implications for Social Work

“…As students have expressed a desire to perform more community work and become more engaged in social justice activities both on and off campus, institutes of higher education have begun working to fulfill that desire, offering an increasing number of service learning courses, civic engagement minors and majors, and co-curricular service and civic engagement activities Colby, Ehrlich, Beaumont, & Stephens, 2003;Steinberg, Hatcher, & Bringle, 2011). As these programs grow and expand, there is a strong desire by social work and other allied fields to support students as they transition out of the college/university environment and adapt to the various ways that social justice activism takes shape in their lives (Flanagan & Levine, 2010;Wendlandt & Rochlen, 2008).…”

Bridging the Generational Culture Gap in Youth Civic Engagement through Social Media: Lessons Learnt from Young Designers in Three Civic Organisations

“…Traditional civic practices such as union membership, newspaper readership, interactions with political parties and engagement in community projects, have seen a marked decline in the United States over the last few decades (Delli Carpini, 2000;Flanagan & Levine, 2010;Putnam, 2001). Similar trends have been seen in Europe, where youth are found to turn away from traditional political parties and rather engage in project-oriented protest movements (Sloam, 2014).…”

“…However, youth practices of civic engagement are changing from long-term engagement with formal civic organisations -such as political party membership, membership in humanitarian organisations and subscription to newspapers -to short-term engagement in project-based initiatives, such as protest movements and online campaigns on social media (Flanagan & Levine, 2010). While social media are seen as a promising arena for civic organisations to facilitate youth civic engagement (Brandtzaeg, Haugstveit, Lüders, & Følstad, 2015;de Zuniga, 2015;Wells, 2014), civic organisations are struggling to adapt to the changing networked media and civic cultures of young people Delli Carpini, 2000;Loader, Vromen, & Xenos, 2014).…”