Youth – actor of social change? (UP2YOUTH)

NOSILEC RAZISKAVE: Andreas Walther (Institute for regional innovation and social research – IRIS)

NAROČNIK: Evropska komisija

LETO ZAČETKA PROJEKTA: 2006

LETO KONCA PROJEKTA: 2008

The Coordination Action 'Youth: Actor of Social Change' is planning to integrate and develop the understanding of the youth question in a changing Europe and to develop political recommendations in the field. Its main focus is youth as agents of change or youth challenges of individualisation in contemporary Europe: Which conditions and obstacles exist for youth development and how do they influence youth integration and disintegration? How do young people develop as individuals who will be able to take part as agents in societal changes? As a consequence, how can youth public policies answer to these global changes?

In this youth developmental process three issues are focused because they seem to be especially central to the process of becoming an agent of late modern Europe: 1) young parenthood: the question of gendered individualisation and the challenges of reproduction, 2) civic participation: the question of citizenship and the challenges of becoming a political actor, 3) cultural and ethnic participation: the question of socio-economic integration and socio-cultural individualisation of ethnic minority youth.