Autonomous participation. An activist ethnography inMaranyaYouth Club

Abstract

In this article there is a discussion about the results of an activist Ethnography carried out in Benicasim (Spain). The study is focused on the culture of youth participation in leisure spaces that contribute significantly to the education of young people as critical citizens. During 3 years of fieldwork as an activist in the Youth Club we carried out an investigation based on biographical, narrative, participatory and observational tools. Particularly, we try to understand which elements can turn a participatory structure into a tool for a model of participatory progression and offer the possibility of creating personalized participatory trajectories. Our results suggest that structuring participation in a youth club can be beneficial if we care for aspects like commitment, responsibility, availability, leadership and the sense of membership. Adapting these elements to the characteristics of each youth will boost participation to more autonomous levels, thus enabling an empowering and autonomous learning process.

COVID-ized Ethnography: Challenges and Opportunities for Young Environmental Activists and Researchers

“…Through this method, it became possible to gain an in-depth understanding of the developments and drivers of young activists' actions. This approach is adopted from the work of other activist scholars, such as Aguirre et al [30] who deployed activist ethnography with young people in Spain.…”