Thanks a Million, CPRN (Seriously)

Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) recently put out a series of publications on engaging young Canadians.  That’s right – a series.

Some pull-quotes…

“The evidence is irrefutable: young Canadians are much less likely to join political parties than previous generations, increasing the danger that participatory membership-based political parties will become less and less viable in Canada.”

Researchers found that youth are not only highly engaged in global and local civic causes, organizations and initiatives, they are savvy communicators, sophisticated networkers and soundly and demonstrably committed to democracy.

We have to be careful not to blame young people for their own marginalization from politics.

Youth are not disconnected from politics; it is political institutions, practice and culture that are disconnected from youth. And yet when we listen carefully to young people, we see
that they have not given up on democracy. We need to redirect public energy from a fixation on getting youth to vote, and conforming to traditional ways of doing politics, to find constructive and respectful ways of co-creating a better politics to serve political and civic society.

-A