Activists rally for action on climate change on Sept. 27, 2019, in Montreal.Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
If you’re a parent of adolescents, or just a concerned citizen, now might feel like an urgent time to encourage their civic engagement.
With a federal election on the horizon (as well as a provincial election in Ontario), possible U.S. tariffs against Canada, ongoing global conflicts, and political polarization, the world can feel like it’s shifting at an aggressive pace. Many observers worry about the future of democracy itself. Motivating young people to be civically engaged matters because they are the ones who will inherit whatever changes comes next.
Last month, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a U.S.-based non-partisan organization that promotes democracy, released a report on young people’s political and civic engagement as a counter to democratic backsliding. It found young people can help protect democracy when they participate in activities such as voting, protesting, community involvement and studying civic engagement in school.
Beatrice Wayne, head of research with the Samara Centre for Democracy, a non-partisan charity that works to enhance civic engagement across Canada, says the current moment may create conflicting impulses among young people. On the one hand, the tense political environment might spark anger, which can motivate engagement. But it might also lead to fear, which can retrench adolescents from politics. “If you’re terrified about Canada becoming the 51st state and feel like politicians don’t care about your concerns, it creates a negative feedback loop and turns teens away from politics,” said Wayne.
But democracy experts such as Wayne and teens themselves say there are ways to foster civic engagement among young people. Here are four suggestions for how.
1. Give youth a say
Evelyn Tindall, a 16-year-old high-school student in Toronto, says teenagers care about what’s going on in society more than people realize but often feel they are not allowed to voice their opinions.
She says empowering students to make decisions today about their school environments – such as assembly themes, field trip destinations or curriculum – better prepares them to make decisions tomorrow about their province and country.
“When teenagers feel listened to and like our voices matter, we can be a force for democracy in Canada, and all over the world.”
2. Invite participation in (real or mock) elections
Leading up to the 2022 general election, Elections Ontario created 3,400 office assistant jobs for people as young as 16. More than 14,000 teenagers applied for the spots. The government agency considered the program so successful that for the upcoming 2025 general election, it is continuing to hire kids too young to vote. “We’re reaching out to people in schools and it’s clear students are interested,” said Elections Ontario media relations co-ordinator Dave Pearce. “We recognize that part of engaging people and helping them understand things is getting hold of them early.”
But getting involved in the mechanics of real-world voting processes isn’t the only way to build up democratic know-how.
Civix, a non-partisan group that seeks to boost civic education among school-aged youth across Canada, holds mirror provincial and federal elections in schools. Since the group launched in 2002, it has held 68 parallel elections at 8,000 schools and is approaching nine million votes cast by children under 18. The group also brings Canadian politicians into classrooms, arranges video question-and-answer sessions with local candidates, and demonstrates how funding decisions affect daily life.
Lindsay Mazzucco, Civix co-founder, says voting is a learned habit and giving kids – even those as young as fourth graders – a voice is essential for democracy.
“Kids aren’t politically apathetic,” said Mazzucco. “We teach kids that participating in democracy is a way to influence things they care about and they not only become inspired, they become voters for life.”
People line up outside a polling station to vote in Canada’s federal election, in Toronto, on Sept. 20, 2021.Mark Blinch/Reuters
3. Choose a cause that’s close to you
A personal connection to a cause can go a long way.
Alice Rosner, a Grade 11 student at YMCA Academy in Toronto, an independent alternative school for students with learning disabilities and learning style differences, cited accessibility and visibility as issues as the reason she learned to make her voice heard through protests, assemblies, and engaging with parents and teachers.
“Every kid has something they feel strongly about,” Rosner, 17, said. “Kids just need to find the cause where they can’t stand to not make themselves heard.”
Thinking of future generations can also help. “I’m not going to have my life discussed with me not at the table, because it’s not only my life on the line, but the lives – in 10 or 20 years – of my kids,” said Rosner.
4. Recognize that kids are already involved in civic life – and encourage them to stay that way
It can be easy to overlook youth already involved in civic life, says Samara Centre’s Wayne. “When asking about how to get young people civically engaged, we miss that they are engaged,” she said.
Wayne, who has taught university courses on youth democratic activism, points to student movements in Argentina, Bangladesh, Serbia and Indonesia as examples of organized young people creating political change through civic engagement.
In addition, adolescents and teens below the 18-year-old voting age often make their voices heard through protesting and “clicktivism” – activism taking place through commenting online.
“In Canada, we need to invest in civic education so Canadian kids feel and see there’s opportunities for them to make meaningful change in their society,” Wayne said.
The key is to teach adolescents how to turn emotion into civic engagement.
“Civic education needs to draw a line between issues like climate change and LGBTQ+ rights that teenagers feel passionate about to ways they can use the political structures in Canada to advocate and, eventually, vote,” said Wayne. “They can use the democratic process to address the issues that may feel frightening to them now.”
