The Big Society agenda of the UK Coalition government aims to develop a more participative and responsible society. In a children’s rights context this sounds progressive, inviting it might be hoped, some appreciation of the contributions that children and young people make to society. Yet, in the light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UK government still remains cautious in the extent to which it seems prepared to recognise children and young people as citizens. This paper explores one Coalition government initiative which is intended to promote citizenship and the building of the ‘Big Society’ – the National Citizen Service. By examining some official NCS documentation and website content we start to unpick the images of childhood and citizenship which underpin it. Central to our analysis is the question of how far young people are considered to be citizens.
Exploring the meaning of citizenship presents an opportunity for considering the extent to which it embraces children’s role as meaning-makers. To what extent are children acknowledged as persons who have a role to play in defining values associated with citizenship? This paper examines some theoretical conceptualisations of citizenship and draws attention to children’s capacity to generate and negotiate social meanings. We argue that in order to effectively respect children as meaning-makers there needs to be some recognition that citizenship values are not simply a product of structure, a pre-defined status, shaped and managed by those in power, but also a product of agency. One important aspect of children’s participation and involvement in society is the contribution they make to defining and negotiating norms and values.
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