Connected
Civics: Civic
Engagement in
a Networked
World
Commentators bemoaning youth apathy worry that digitally-mediated, expression-based forms of civic activity will make young people less likely to take part in institutionalized politics (such as voting), but recent research has indicated the opposite. “Connected civics” is civic and political engagement grounded in young people’s deeply felt interests and identities. Research on young people’s participation in the digital and networked world has been pursued by the Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP) Research Network and its Media, Activism, and Participatory Politics (MAPP) project.
Learning Connected Civics: Narratives, Practices, Infrastructures
By Mizuko Ito, Elisabeth Soep, Neta Kligler-Vilenchik, Sangita Shresthova, Liana Gamber-Thompson and Arely Zimmerman
“Young people today are engaging in new forms of politics that are profoundly participatory.” Published Feb. 3, 2015
Full ReportBy Any Media Necessary: The New Activism of American Youth
By Henry Jenkins, Sangita Shresthova, Liana Gamber-Thompson, Neta Kligler-Vilenchik and Arely Zimmerman
“Young men and women are tapping into the potential of new forms of communication such as social media platforms, spreadable videos and memes, remixing the language of popular culture, and seeking to bring about political change — by any media necessary.” Published May 1, 2016
WebsiteResources
Case Studies:
- Learning Connected Civics: Narratives, Practices, Infrastructures
- Youth, New Media, and the Rise of Participatory Politics
- Participatory Politics: New Media and Youth Political Action
- Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age
- Participatory Politics: Next-Generation Tactics to Remake Public Spheres
- How Social Media Helps Young People - Especially Minorities and the Poor - Get Politically Engaged
- Doing Civics in the Digital Age: Casual, Purposeful, and Strategic Approaches to Participatory Politics
- Youth, activism, and social movements
Educator Guides:
- Digital Civics Toolkit
- Teaching Channel Deep Dive
- 10 Questions
- BYP video and curriculum
- Informing Activists video series
- Teach Youth Radio — storytelling resources for educators
- Letters to the Next President 2.0
- By Any Media Necessary Book Companion Conversation Starter Kit:
Workshops
- These Workshops focus on building skills for innovative participatory politics:
- Think Critically - Act Creatively: Harnessing the Power of Fiction for Social Good
- "Not Your Momma's Sex Ed" Using Radical Youth Media to Tell Your Story
- Whose Public? Spatializing Politics Through Street Art
- Imagine Better: Harnessing Popular Culture for Social Change
- Stories Inc.: Personal Storytelling for Social Issues
- Caine's Arcade: Bringing Creativity and Entrepreneurship Together
- Guerilla Libraries: Creating Real World Community
- Understanding Design Methodology