Shouting, not shooting, will tackle youth engagement

The terrible and tragic events in France in January generated immediate public concerns and political questions about security and counter-terrorism.

But bubbling under will have to be a very different debate about fundamentalism and the propensity of some to embrace violent extremism on the streets of the neighbourhoods where they grew up. Invariably, these are young people.

The last time the banlieue of Paris attracted international attention was a decade ago when armed police were not the celebrated heroes of recent days, but alleged racists criticised for over-reacting to the criminal behaviour of young men from immigrant backgrounds. As a result, some districts of Paris went up in flames as their youth confronted the forces of law and order. The Council of Europe discussed the issue and representative youth organisations called loudly and clearly for more youth participation. It was imperative, they said, to reach out more effectively and hear the voices, perspectives and aspirations of "disaffected" youth. Shortly afterwards, a key strand of the Council of Europe's youth agenda was committed to addressing "living together in diverse societies".

But in Strasbourg that day, I said that, far from participation, the general public would be calling for more police, prosecution and prison for young people who strayed beyond the bounds of acceptable behaviour. The case for, and cause of, youth participation as a means for reducing and limiting more unpalatable behaviour by the young is far from won.

So it is useful to note that, just before the New Year, the British Youth Council disseminated a report that seeks to rekindle the momentum for broader, deeper and more diverse forms of youth participation. Amplify Participation of Young People in Europe! is the result of a collaborative process involving a number of countries (including the UK) between government officials, youth representatives, researchers and other experts, designed to take youth participation out of the corner of a "nice to have". As the report says, Europe has a problem of trust, of sustainable, democratic governance and a challenge to offer the young generation ways to participate at all levels and to experience having influence on political decisions that affect them. There is an urgent call, it goes on, for changing the way politics is made, communicated and shared; if we do not want to lose the young generation and their critical ideas, creative input and innovative potential, we need to create an enhanced democratic culture in all spheres of life. And the last phrase is especially significant: politics has to be conceived on its widest canvas.

To that end, what amounts to a manifesto for youth participation has been launched. It comprises not only a much wider conception of the idea, but also a mainstreaming approach premised on ensuring that all policy development is evaluated for its impact and consequences on young people. The latter can be strengthened in particular through sharing power and leadership with young people, so that they directly influence matters of relevance in their lives.

Nowhere is off-limits for the establishment and learning of participation, through securing young people's contribution and equipping them with the motivation and skills to maximise that contribution. Formal and non-formal education can play their part. And at the heart of all teaching and learning for democracy and participation are issues of human rights, community cohesion and the fostering of respect, tolerance and pluralism.

At a time when Europe is in crisis on many fronts, it is imperative that young people remain connected and committed to democratic possibilities and prospects, not disconnected and drawn to despair or destruction. The amplification of their voice, even if in part to forestall more of them travelling down those more negative pathways, as well as for all the positive reasons that are routinely cited, is certainly required. The critical policy issue will be that of reach - how to secure the motivation and engagement of those towards the edge, who are most at risk of exclusion and perhaps extremism.

It might be instructive to recall the streets of Paris in 1968. Then, the events found students and young workers displaying their disquiet with the establishment through protest on the streets and violent clashes with police. It led to a serious reflection on mechanisms for youth engagement and, indeed, produced the initial frameworks for the forms of youth participation that we know today. These are now in urgent need of review, development and diversification once more.

Howard Williamson is professor of European youth policy at the University of South Wales