WEBVTT 00:00:01.500 --> 00:00:06.000 In this section of the course, we will talk about Youth activism. 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:11.481 Firstly, I will provide some details about Youth Activism in general, 00:00:11.505 --> 00:00:17.000 and then focus in particular on Youth Activism in the realm of the media. 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:26.488 I will discuss issues such as: What is youth activism, why is it important, what forms of youth activism are there, 00:00:26.512 --> 00:00:35.000 how do young people become activists, how to use social media as a tool for youth activism and so on. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:42.000 We will then go to explore in some detail two representative cases of youth activism. 00:00:43.800 --> 00:00:50.888 The first case study will be dedicated to a documentary called Kony 2012, which became viral 00:00:50.912 --> 00:00:58.000 and led to an international intervention intended to bring down a suspected war criminal. 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:06.000 The second study case is the story of Malala Yousafzai, the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:09.000 So, what is youth activism? 00:01:09.500 --> 00:01:13.000 Let us start with a clear and simple definition of youth activism. 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:28.000 Broadly defined, activism refers to action for social change - activism includes protests, advocacy, information dissemination and raising awareness. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:36.051 Typically, when we think about youth activism, we have in mind young activists who protest 00:01:36.075 --> 00:01:44.000 against child labour, environmental protection, animal rights, recognition of Palestine and so on. 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:52.644 Or, in the past, we tend to attribute activism to Nazi resistance, fight for civil rights, 00:01:52.668 --> 00:02:01.000 anti-Vietnam war protests in the 1970s in the USA, and 1968 student protests throughout Europe. 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:07.738 As it is the case probably with all definitions, defining activism seems 00:02:07.762 --> 00:02:13.000 to be clear, but once we go to specifics, things tend to get more complicated. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:22.000 Activism is used in many different ways by many political actors and those who practise civic engagement. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:32.123 Thus, while we tend to associate it with riots or protests on the streets, scholars emphasize that activism can encompass 00:02:32.147 --> 00:02:42.000 both actions that are being taken to various forms of knowledge, resources and experiences that enable young people to engage in activism. 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:50.488 In that sense, for example, insofar as this course is intended to empower young people and to provide 00:02:50.512 --> 00:02:58.000 some useful tools for them to act, it is also activism in a way if we employ this broader definition. 00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:06.468 So, as Ron Kassimir writes in an influential book on Youth activism called Youth Activism: an International Encyclopaedia: 00:03:06.492 --> 00:03:14.238 "youth activism can range from voting in elections to participating in revolutions, from exposure to civic education 00:03:14.262 --> 00:03:22.247 to participation in debate clubs, voluntary work, and service provision, from working on behalf 00:03:22.271 --> 00:03:30.000 of political parties to gathering signatures to present a petition to political leaders." 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:38.300 Scholars, however, have a broader definition, and emphasize that "activism is civic engagement, and the education 00:03:38.324 --> 00:03:47.000 and experience that prepare a young person for the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship are all part of the process." 00:03:47.950 --> 00:03:58.647 But for many young people, and those who consider themselves to be activists, activism here means a more specific and active participation in the following: 00:03:58.671 --> 00:04:09.963 Protest events and direct actions, nonviolent but also violent; ongoing advocacy campaigns to change the policies and behaviours of powerful 00:04:09.987 --> 00:04:21.093 institutions or governments, transnational corporations, international institutions; consumer boycotts and other users of market power to effect change 00:04:21.117 --> 00:04:32.000 and information gathering and dissemination intended to influence media attention and the consciousness of the public regarding issues of concern. 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:41.000 From the point of view of activists, activism is only one form of civic engagement, and not the most common one. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:48.000 It implies action that expresses some dissatisfaction, action that wants to change things. 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:55.988 Not many young people engage in this form of activism - actually, not many young people vote 00:04:56.012 --> 00:05:02.000 at all, and far less young people are activists in this sense compared to those who vote. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:09.000 But the importance of such activism cannot be simply measured by numbers of people taking part in it. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:20.000 Recent USA protests like Occupy Wall Street or anti globalist movement are very effective and can have global consequences. 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:30.000 And even if activism does not bring immediate change, it raises awareness and affects political views and behaviours of many people. 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:35.000 Another issue that we need to take into account is whether activism is a good thing. 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:37.500 Can there be bad activism? 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:44.000 This depends on our standpoint and this issue cannot be answered universally. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:06:00.000 For instance, for those who are against abortion, anti-abortion campaign is surely a good thing, whereas for those who emphasize women's rights to choose if they want to have a baby or not such activism can be seen as a bad thing. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:08.988 Also, while we tend to associate the term activism with affirmative, progressive and emancipatory goals, there are 00:06:09.012 --> 00:06:17.000 also actions such as right-wing activism, anti-refugee campaign that fit the definition of activism as well. 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:23.238 Thus, it is hard to say in advance and once for all what activism is 00:06:23.262 --> 00:06:28.000 and especially to say that activism is necessarily a good thing. 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:37.000 One author thus illustrates the difficulties of defining activism by taking RAP music as an example. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:45.000 Namely, RAP music often talks about racism and challenges race differences in America. 00:06:45.700 --> 00:06:51.996 Older rap musicians or bands such as Ice T or Public Enemy also fiercely attacked 00:06:52.020 --> 00:06:58.000 the American system and were even seen as the threat by the establishment. 00:06:58.500 --> 00:07:05.000 So, in the sense that they are tackling some burning issues, RAP can thus be seen as activism. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:12.488 However, others would argue that RAP music is not oriented towards promoting change, 00:07:12.512 --> 00:07:19.000 that it just raises issues, whereas activism needs to involve a course of action. 00:07:19.800 --> 00:07:27.000 Finally, there are those who also argue that RAP music is destructive, whereas activism needs to be constructive. 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:31.934 So, as you can see, once you start thinking more thoroughly about what can 00:07:31.958 --> 00:07:37.000 actually qualify as activism, this concept becomes more complicated and illusive. 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:43.738 We also need to take into account that forms of activism are different in different places - 00:07:43.762 --> 00:07:50.000 for those who live in democracies, public protests or rallies are typical forms of activism. 00:07:50.500 --> 00:08:00.000 But for those who live under an authoritarian rule, these forms of expressing dissatisfaction or demanding change are often impossible. 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:07.488 Political action in such cases can be hidden out of necessity, and activism can have more secretive 00:08:07.512 --> 00:08:15.000 forms of raising awareness and opting for action during informal meetings, religious service and so on. 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:22.158 As Lonnie Sherrod writes in her entry on Youth Activism and Civic Engagement in the Youth Activism: an International Encyclopaedia, 00:08:22.182 --> 00:08:28.840 "participating as a citizen in society is as important as working or forming a family, 00:08:28.864 --> 00:08:35.226 yet there has been much more attention to the development of schooling and work 00:08:35.250 --> 00:08:42.000 and on the formation of relationships and families than to the development of citizenship. 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:44.500 This is a serious mistake. 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:52.238 Societies throughout the globe have to understand how their youth develop into productive, capable adult citizens. 00:08:52.262 --> 00:08:59.500 Societies also need to provide opportunities for the development of citizenship through their social institutions." 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:08.000 But, are the youth themselves passive and disinterested in their future or politics that surrounds them, as we often hear? 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:20.000 Scholar Robert Putnam has argued that around 2000 civic engagement has been at the all-time low in the United States, especially among young people. 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:28.000 And he came to that conclusion by looking at how many people vote, read newspaper, participate in political clubs and the like. 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:39.000 And his conclusion was that these indicators are much lower in youth - defined as 18 to 25 years old, than in any other age group. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:45.000 For example, as mentioned, young people typically vote less than any other age group. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:48.000 But, his argument is controversial. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:55.000 Other scholars argued that civic engagement has not declined but has simply changed in nature. 00:09:55.500 --> 00:10:03.000 So, for instance, young people may not read newspapers, but they get news from the TV or the Internet. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:17.000 Participation in organisations may be low, but they often act as volunteers, or do community service, and such activities are at their record high nowadays. 00:10:17.300 --> 00:10:23.000 In the past, transition from childhood to adulthood can be said to have been relatively simple. 00:10:23.800 --> 00:10:29.888 Before the Industrial revolution, most people were farming, cultivating lands, and there was little difference 00:10:29.912 --> 00:10:36.000 in workstyle and lifestyle between adults and younger generation. 00:10:36.300 --> 00:10:46.000 So, in a way, there was no need to have a separate period or life stage called youth or to give it some exceptional social attention. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:53.606 But in the last 2 centuries, things have changed - first of all, while prior to the Industrial revolution 00:10:53.630 --> 00:10:59.737 everything remained within a family - a house and a farm, now things have 00:10:59.761 --> 00:11:06.369 changed - you live at one place, you work at another, and the learning and education part is 00:11:06.393 --> 00:11:13.000 conducted at yet again a different place, so younger people now started attending schools. 00:11:13.800 --> 00:11:22.000 On top of that, far more people than ever before started going to universities, or places of higher education, and so on. 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:30.000 Work processes and technology are changing rapidly, and it is more and more complicated to catch up. 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:41.000 Now we need to acquire new skills constantly in order to be employable - knowledge that was contemporary 20 years ago can be totally useless nowadays. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:48.000 All these things created a gap between generations, and especially between adults and youth. 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.000 So, who is nowadays an adult? 00:11:52.500 --> 00:11:58.000 Usually, it has been considered that once you exit your teens you are an adult. 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:05.000 So, maturity line was set between 18 and 21 in Europe or in the UK and US. 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:14.238 But this line separating youth and adults has been moved up in the recent decades, simply because it showed that in today's society, 00:12:14.262 --> 00:12:22.000 it is not easy to get knowledge, gain full independence and have economic means to be fully emancipated by this age. 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:32.000 Do, it is commonly taken that youth are between 18 and 25 years nowdays, and some even move this line up to 30 years of age. 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:39.238 Two scholars define the youth in the following manner: "Youth is an elastic category: where it 00:12:39.262 --> 00:12:46.000 begins and ends is subject to interpretation and is sensitive to social and historical context. 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:55.988 Typically, this stage or timein the life cycle refers to persons in the adolescent and emerging adult years, people who are no longer 00:12:56.012 --> 00:13:05.000 children but "not quite" adults in the sense of assuming the independence and responsibilities typically associated with adulthood. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:17.000 Depending on the socioeconomic and sociocultural traditions of a society, youth may be persons as young as thirteen and as old as forty." 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:27.000 In psychological terms, this is the period when a person tries to find him or herself in the world, and his or her position in a society. 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:39.000 Lonnie Sherrod puts this simply: "This is a time when people have to decide how they will earn a living, what they are good at, and what they care about... 00:13:39.800 --> 00:13:46.888 In other words, youth need to figure out who they are, what other individuals and groups they fit with, what 00:13:46.912 --> 00:13:54.000 they believe in, how they make sense of the world, and who else believes in the same things that they do." 00:13:54.800 --> 00:14:00.000 So, this is the time one formulates opinions, beliefs and forms an identity. 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:11.000 Studies have shown that people tend to stick to what they defined as their world views and anideology in their youth throughout their lives. 00:14:11.800 --> 00:14:18.388 Actually, with age we tend to be more flexible and less prone to straightforward activism 00:14:18.412 --> 00:14:25.000 that as young people, but basic ideological and political ideas seem to stick with us. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:37.000 While developing their worldview and their ideology, young people encounter the world and society their live in and dominant ideas that these are ruled by. 00:14:37.500 --> 00:14:46.000 This is also the time they enter the political arena, and in most countries young people at the age of 18 are registered to vote. 00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:56.000 This is all very significant as youth sometimes tends to follow the existing political practices, and sometimes to change them. 00:14:56.500 --> 00:15:08.000 For instance, in the USA and UK, there rather seem to be continuity in beliefs and political practices within the next and past few decades. 00:15:08.500 --> 00:15:17.501 However, recently we are witnessing the rising interest in politics by young people, especially among the Democratic Party; 00:15:17.525 --> 00:15:22.250 thus, many young people supported Obama, and most recently Bernie Sanders managed to attract 00:15:22.274 --> 00:15:27.000 huge masses of young people as his political supporters. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:34.014 In Europe and in particular in the Balkans, there seems to be less continuity in the sense that 00:15:34.038 --> 00:15:40.500 the younger generation is often more revolutionary and in the forefront of rebellions and protests. 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:51.488 Thus, generation from the Vietnam War and the student protest of 1968 tended to be far more liberal than their parents, and in the Balkans and 00:15:51.512 --> 00:16:02.000 Eastern Europe it was youth in the late 1980s 1990 that led the protests for the establishment of multiparty system and pushing for democracy. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:11.000 It is important to stress that all these questions about youth and their political views are not some marginal, irrelevant issues. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:20.488 If you believe in democracy, then you know that in a democratic system of rule it is essential to have active and informed 00:16:20.512 --> 00:16:29.000 citizens who are able to participate in public and political life of a community and to make sound and reasonable decisions. 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:35.588 Thus, making young people into active citizens and having their civic participation is 00:16:35.612 --> 00:16:42.000 vital in securing that the democratic system is passed on smoothly to new generations. 00:16:42.500 --> 00:16:48.738 Some even argue that youth are indispensable, as they are seeing political order from a new, 00:16:48.762 --> 00:16:55.000 fresh perspective, and it is they who have the will and energy, and commitment to change it. 00:16:56.000 --> 00:17:01.988 As Ron Kassimir writes in the same book on Youth activism: "the current state and 00:17:02.012 --> 00:17:08.000 future fate of young people are core to the hopes and fears of all societies." 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:16.988 Thus, worrying about youth as political actors, in particular, means to worry about what kind of citizens will young people 00:17:17.012 --> 00:17:25.000 turn out to be in the future, and what is to be done now to prepare them to become "good" future citizens.