Firstly, what is political engagement? 

 

Political engagement is the active involvement of people or groups in the political process, which includes actions like lobbying, advocating, protesting, running for office, and voting. It entails people getting involved in politics and utilising their voice and power to influence choices and policies. Political participation is crucial for advancing democracy, social justice, and equality, as well as for ensuring that the government responds to the demands and worries of its constituents. Activism can happen at the local, state, national, or even worldwide level and take a variety of forms, such as sending letters to elected authorities or planning marches and demonstrations (Tymoczko, 2000).

 

And how is it taught? 

 

There are many different approaches to teaching political activity in formal and informal contexts. Civic education can involve things like simulated elections, discussions, and volunteer work, within the university, for example. A personal example of this can be seen with the Roehampton Students Union and their candidate election time; it is a process by which candidates are quizzed on their manifestos for their elected positions and are scrutinised to prove why they genuinely want to engage in university politics.

Other examples are community-based organisations or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that plan events and seminars to inform and enthuse residents about participating in politics. Moreover, these groups can offer instruction on advocacy, lobbying, and activism but tend to be for extroverted individuals who may also have a specific standpoint on political campaigns. Additionally, media such as news outlets and social media help to inform the public about politics and encourage political

involvement. However, a person’s location or online footprint may influence the media they are exposed to. For example, I live in Dorset but study in London and when I am at home, in a rural setting, my social media feed changes to a more ‘on the fence’ political viewpoint where policies around farming and agriculture are deemed of more interest. Thus, geolocation can affect algorithms, specifically political ones, and regardless of how ‘politically engaged’ an individual is, it can be a malleable concept. However, studies suggest that the most important aspect is the degree to which students are familiar with democratic processes is positively correlated with a classroom climate that encourages a free, open, and courteous exchange of ideas (Campbell, 2008).

 

Ideally, political involvement should be taught via a combination of methods that are adjusted to the requirements and preferences of various groups and individuals. It is suggested that young people often lack political engagement; however, I suggest that today’s young people are active with the rise of strike action and the use of social media to enhance campaigns such as ‘enough is enough’ (on Instagram). Young people today are revolutionising the way politics are seen and heard; from personal involvement, I see the wall between personal and private crumbling. Politics is not a private issue but a public one being brought home by so many people being affected by falling living standards and inter-generational inequality.

 

Why are political engagement theories relevant? 

 

Political theories facilitate our understanding of youth engagement in politics, allowing us to determine the inequalities faced by the majority in comparison to elitist movements. They clarify the motivations for and methods for collective and individual political participation. Theories offer a framework for examining political engagement’s motives, obstacles, and tactics, as well as the social and political conditions that affect it. We learn more about how to encourage and promote political involvement, particularly among marginalised and underrepresented groups, by researching political engagement ideas. We better understand the variables influencing political involvement and create practical methods for boosting civic engagement and advancing democracy by applying these and other theories of political engagement. Rather than their educational or socioeconomic advantages, or even their gender or ethnicity, young adults’ online political involvement is being driven by political interest (Keating & Melis, 2017).

 

 So then, why is political socialisation relevant?

 

The process through which people pick up political views, attitudes, values, and actions through social and cultural factors is referred to as political socialisation. This process starts in childhood and develops over the course of a person’s life as they engage with their family, friends, teachers, the media, and other institutions of society. These outlets may become a basis for a young person’s understanding of political literacy as these outlets are extremely personal and meaningful.

While citizenship education has been in the National Curriculum since 2002 for 11–16-year-olds, a shocking 75% of academy schools do not have to follow the Curriculum. Meaning that if you go to an academy, you are less likely to learn about topics relating to your rights! Having been to a private school for a while, I found citizenship and political sciences engrained in the school system, where there was social standing within peers to be politically engaged. Such school-based political socialisation is crucial because it affects how a person develops the confidence to participate in politics, form opinions, and challenge political institutions and policies. We can create methods for boosting civic education and involvement as well as democratic principles and attitudes by understanding the mechanics of political socialisation. These mechanisms are vital in understanding how today’s politics are taught but also how they can be exploited. For example, movements and ideals such as radical feminism, which formed an alternative to mainstream society, can be argued to have been co-opted to a point where radicalisation is lost, and the cause is diluted by forms of feminism that have been accepted into mainstream structures of governance. If we apply this concept to the current political climate, perhaps a more just movement is underway as young people engage online with alternative visions for society; but will the aspirations and the power of young people be effective? (Buckingham, 1999)

 

Time to act?

 

Policies and practices put in place by the current Conservative government that primarily benefit the wealthy and powerful in society are being challenged outside of parliament through strike action. Reaction to the cost-of-living crisis shows direct action as a meaningful political engagement strategy for young people in contrast to either choosing not to vote or being extremely vocal in voting for an opposition party. Young people may ask why we should trust the system that has let them down for so long. Ultimately political literacy is essential in understanding how and why society is what it is today, and the lack of teaching in schools highlights the importance of informal networks of knowledge to counter institutional politics.

 

References:

Buckingham, D., 1999. Young people, politics and news media: Beyond political socialisation. Oxford review of education, 25(1-2), pp.171-184.

Campbell, D.E., 2008. Voice in the classroom: How an open classroom climate fosters political engagement among adolescents. Political behavior, 30, pp.437-454.

Keating, A. and Melis, G., 2017. Social media and youth political engagement: Preaching to the converted or providing a new voice for youth?. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 19(4), pp.877-894.

Tymoczko, M., 2000. Translation and political engagement: Activism, social change and the role of translation in geopolitical shifts. The translator, 6(1), pp.23-47.