LEARN Best Practices
The only way forward is by learning and growing together.
THE NEED FOR A MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRACY
Democracy itself is at risk right now, all across the world.
In the United States, jaded by a political process that they feel like actively excludes them, and fails to provide real results, less than 30% of young people think democracy is the best form of governance. Simply put, young people do not believe in democracy right now. These statistics will worsen as young people enter into one of the worst economies in a generation, defined by unprecedented unemployment and the possibility of a global economic depression.
While this democratic decline is alarming, this democratic backsliding and erosion is not just an American trend. Across the world, democracy is at the precipice. The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index measures 60 indicators across five general categories: electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, democratic political culture, and civil liberties. Its 2018 report is striking: less than 5% of the world’s population currently lives in a “full democracy”, whereas nearly a third of the population lives under authoritarian rule. The trends are moving downward, with 89 of 167 countries assessed receiving lower scores than they had the year before.
Globally, legislatures are limiting their own activities in the name of social distancing, while many democratic norms, like elections, debate, and checks and balances, are now on hold. Hungary gave its president the ability to rule by decree, Belgium is tracking cell phone patterns to restrict movement, and countries from Bolivia to Poland to Uganda altered elections.
This is a defining moment for democracy across the world. And our young people can lead us to a better future.
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION
In our frequently updated Democracy in Action blog, read the latest news, happenings, and research from youth activists and scholars around the world. You’ll hear powerful stories about young people creating better futures for themselves, their communities, and their countries.
Have a story of democracy in action you’d like to see here?
LEARN BEST PRACTICES
We pull together the best research, scholarship, and real-world applications to bring you the latest in youth activism and civics best practices. This page is updated frequently. Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on our forthcoming resources.
Videos
This virtual conference connected youth activists with civics practitioners and scholars from around the world to discuss the best practices of youth activism. (12:23 minutes)
Case Studies
Lessons from Pandemic-Era Activism: Shrinking Civic Spaces and the Tactical Innovations of Chile’s Youth Organizer - This case study explores challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed to Santiago’s student activists. It describes the ways they adapted to the threat of slacktivism, the disappearance of public audiences, as well as the closing of physical spaces. The study concludes by proposing best practices for establishing resilient forms of post-pandemic activism. (PDF)
The Youth Turn in Labour Politics: Taiwan’s Working Hours Reform & Lessons for Global Youth Activism - This case study follows Taiwan’s working-hours reform movement from 2000 to 2018, focusing in particular on the movement’s “youth-turn” in 2016. The significance of this case lies in its illumination of general barriers to effective political mobilization and organization faced by young activists globally. (PDF)