Youth Activism in an Age of Austerity
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Environment, Education and Development
Abstract
The overall aim of this studentship is to explore the participation of young people and youth engagement organisations in political decision-making and debates, and whether their voices are heard and included. In the context of deep public spending cuts and an increasingly competitive funding landscape (Brown 2013; Christopherson et al. 2014), the possibilities for youth political participation have been called into question (Hall and Pimlott-Wilson 2016). There is a historic marginalisation of youth voices in political and economic decision-making, with very few mechanisms for inclusion beyond civil society organisations. Even when policies are ostensibly about young people they are often positioned as future adults not as young people with rights to political participation now (Evans, 2010; Evans and Honeyford, 2011). This has been brought to light with the recent vote for Brexit in the UK (Hall and Pottinger 2016).
As such, the opportunities for young people and youth engagement organisations to contribute to debates about the future of their communities are at best limited, and at worst undermined by such cuts to third society funding. The likely legacy of the current economic climate thus has huge implications for the participation of younger people in political life. The topic of youth activism in an age of austerity brings together important questions around intergenerational justice, grassroots political engagement and youth futures.
To investigate these matters, the studentship will take RECLAIM, Manchester's leading Youth Engagement Charity, as a case study. RECLAIM is an award winning leadership and mentoring charity that endeavours to represent and champion the voices of young working class people politically, socially and culturally, so they can encourage those in power to incorporate and consider the views of future generations when making decisions that affect their lives. Taking a participatory research approach, the doctoral student will become embedded in the day-to-day youth engagement work of RECLAIM, spending 12 months based at RECLAIM's head offices and alongside staff involved in work on the ground across Greater Manchester.
As such, the opportunities for young people and youth engagement organisations to contribute to debates about the future of their communities are at best limited, and at worst undermined by such cuts to third society funding. The likely legacy of the current economic climate thus has huge implications for the participation of younger people in political life. The topic of youth activism in an age of austerity brings together important questions around intergenerational justice, grassroots political engagement and youth futures.
To investigate these matters, the studentship will take RECLAIM, Manchester's leading Youth Engagement Charity, as a case study. RECLAIM is an award winning leadership and mentoring charity that endeavours to represent and champion the voices of young working class people politically, socially and culturally, so they can encourage those in power to incorporate and consider the views of future generations when making decisions that affect their lives. Taking a participatory research approach, the doctoral student will become embedded in the day-to-day youth engagement work of RECLAIM, spending 12 months based at RECLAIM's head offices and alongside staff involved in work on the ground across Greater Manchester.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sarah Hall (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Elizabeth Ackerley (Student) |