The Citizens of Tomorrow – From Civic Education to Political Participation

Abstract

The non-linear transition to adulthood of today's youth signaled by numerous theoreticians has consequences on the forms of political participation favoured by young people. Nevertheless, citizenship education continues to play a significant role in shaping the political behaviour of future adults. After highlighting the characteristics of citizenship education in Europe as outlined in the most recent Eurydice study (2012) and briefly presenting the alternative forms of political and social participation embraced by the young generation, the present paper aims to determine the level of interest and involvement of Romanian teenagers in political and social activities at both national and European level. The research method employed is a quantitative one, pupils from the 11 th and 12 th -grade being the subjects of a survey conducted in six Romanian high schools. Findings reveal that although teenagers are willing to make their voice heard by various means, including alternative forms of participation, they still trust the effectiveness of electoral forms of participation in influencing the decision-making process and are eager to exercise the democratic right of voting.