Young people explode negative media image as national initiative inspires good citizenship

Published on Tuesday 1 July 2008 19:28

CITIZENSHIP. Everywhere you turn these days it seems the word is staring you in the face. It is undoubtedly one of the buzzwords in Scottish education at the moment and unlikely to be going away any time soon.

The SNP-led administration has made it clear in policy statements that it "will help schools engage pupils in citizenship education that teaches them to understand their responsibilities towards the environment, prepares them to play a full part in society, and promotes a culture of respect and tolerance".

An aspiration to be applauded, but not so straightforward to deliver, you might think. Because, if the media is to be believed, the current generation of young people is apathetic, disenfranchised, unengaged, alienated and more likely to vote for the next winner of X-Factor than at a general election.

While this stereotyping should be taken with a pinch of salt, there are disengagement issues to be tackled and there's no doubt that governments across the world are looking for ways of supporting young people to play a part in their communities.

Every day, Young Scot comes into contact with young people who are the antithesis of the media caricature: young people who are working hard to help improve the lives of others, and who want to see their communities enhanced. And there are thousands of them across the country.

The majority of our work is spent producing information resources aimed at these young people. But Young Scot is also doing everything it can to help those that work with young people deliver effective education for citizenship. The recent Smart Citizenship project saw Young Scot working with teachers, local authorities and young people to construct a youth-led approach to developing citizenship education.

Ten different secondary schools in Scotland took part in the pilot, developed in partnership with the (then) Scottish Executive, and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos). In addition, the young people developed their own partnerships with other community groups.

All of the young people involved reported improved knowledge in a range of topic areas, including community, Europe, health, law and money. They reported improved skills in team working, sharing information, presenting, and problem solving. There were also improvements in the areas of personal development, including confidence, and social skills.

Teaching staff also reported an increase in their own knowledge and understanding, and valued the way the project engaged them with students on the theme of citizenship.

These are undeniably positive outcomes. But why? Crucial to its success was partnership. Young people were working not just with those inside the school gates, but those outside too. This meant that those involved could see it was about their community, rather than just what was happening within the classroom.

Secondly, the project was youth-led. There is little point in simply telling young people how to be better citizens. If we want young people to be involved we must support them to make their own decisions.

&#149 Gregor Urquhart is director of communications, Young Scot. For further information see www.youngscot.net