Vanderbilt University Press has published Engaging Young People in Civic Life, edited by James Youniss and by Peter Levine, with a forward by former United States Representative Lee Hamilton.
This book originated in a meeting organized by CIRCLE and funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Many of the chapters are informed by CIRCLE-funded research projects. This is CIRCLE’s press release.
In the forward, Hamilton writes, “I can think of no task more important for the future of American democracy than teaching young people about our system of government and encouraging them to get involved in politics and community service. … Engaging Young People in Civic Life is tough-minded, data-driven, and unsentimental. It is full of concrete policy proposals for schools, municipalities, service programs, and political parties. It offers all the appropriate scholarly caveats and qualifications. But at its heart, it is a plea to revive American democracy by offering all our young people the civic opportunities they want and so richly deserve.”
Table of Contents
Foreword - Lee Hamilton
Introduction. Policy for Youth Civic Engagement - Peter Levine and James Youniss
Part I. Youth and Schools
Chapter 1. A “Younger Americans Act”: An Old Idea for a New Era - James Youniss and Peter Levine
Chapter 2. Democracy for Some: The Civic Opportunity Gap in High School - Joseph Kahne and Ellen Middaugh
Chapter 3. Principles That Promote Discussion of Controversial Political Issues - Diana Hess
Part II. Political Environments: Neighborhoods and Cities
Chapter 4. Policies for Civic Engagement Beyond the Schoolyard - James G. Gimpel and Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz
Chapter 5. Civic Participation and Development in Urban Adolescents - Daniel Hart and Ben Kirshner
Chapter 6. City Government As Enabler of Youth Civic Engagement: Policy Design and Implications - Carmen Sirianni and Diana Marginean Schor
Chapter 7. Local Political Parties and Young Voters: Context, Resources, and Policy Innovation - Daniel M. Shea
Part III. Policy Models from Other Nations
Chapter 8. Youth Electoral Participation in Canada and Scandinavia - Henry Milner
Chapter 9. Civic Education in Europe: Perspectives from the Netherlands, Belgium, and France - Marc Hooghe and Ellen Claes
Chapter 10. Strengthening Education for Citizenship and Democracy in the UK - David Kerr and Elizabeth Cleaver
Conclusion. The Way Forward - Peter Levine and James Youniss
Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement
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Great post !!! Thx for sharing
Thanks, interesting article, will continue?
Do you have a link to where i could buy this book? thanks!
Thanks, interesting article, will continue?
Thanks for the information
Thanks for the book reference. I might have to pick it up; I assume you can buy it from the Vanderbilt University bookstore. I am very interested in the influence young voters have over how our government is shaped. Also, I would like to gain an insight as to what motivates young voters to actually go out and cast the ballot.
Well, Hamilton was right. You can’t really have a future for American Democracy, if upcoming voters and politicians don’t understand political issues. But then again, that’s like saying “What’s up, must come down.”
Great recommendation. Our kids need more opportunities to get involved in politics and community service. This book will help the public understand its importance.
Great post !!! Thx for sharing
This important book tackles head-on one of the major concerns of our day, that too many young people, especially those who don’t attend college, are ill informed about and disengaged from politics.
In this book you can find some helpful tip that can be used daily. It open our eyes to presently happening and how to deal with them.
Today everyone knows about the importance of civic life for youth,so it should be tried from now so that youth will participate in a social issues in future.
It clearly discusses the importance and ways to engage young people in the reality of life. Many actually disregard the fact that our youth is very important to improve our lives.