Youth Civic Participation: Do Socialising Agents Matter?

Abstract

Hong Kong has become a political city since 1997 after the return of sovereignty from Britain to China, and the issue of democracy and universal suffrage is still a question. Since then, there have been constant demonstrations in the streets to struggle for social justice and true universal suffrage, participated in by thousands of Hong Kong citizens. Interestingly, there are several groups of youngsters from secondary schools and tertiary institutions taking initiatives to participate in these civic and political events. This article aims to report on a qualitative study on how these youth groups are politically socialised to be active participants in petitions and demonstrations, and looks into the role and function of the agents in the socialising process of youth participation in political incidents in Hong Kong.

Non-formal and Informal Learning as Citizenship Education: the Views of Young People and Youth Policymakers

“…Therefore, norms, values, preferences, and beliefs leading to participation can be taught in many different environments. In addition to schools, the influence of different youth organisations or civic NGOs may play an important role in transforming youth into active citizens (Ng 2014).…”