Uphill struggle ahead to make youth social action the norm

In every discussion of youth issues and youth policy, at every level, in every corner of Europe, the default position descends on the question of youth participation and its bedfellows: influence, autonomy, citizenship and action. The latter divides conveniently between political and community action; every time we bemoan the apparent lack of interest or engagement by young people in formal politics, expressing anxiety about the "democratic deficit", we celebrate simultaneously their sustaining commitment to single issue movements (such as the environment or animal rights) and their too often unheralded contribution to local community life.

In truth, we actual know very little in terms of facts about these things and the balance between them. There may certainly be a disengagement from and loss of trust in mainstream politics, but beyond that the levels of activity in which young people are involved, let alone their frequency and intensity, are little known or understood.