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Posted Jun. 19/07
A fundamental right for Canadians 18 years of age and older, voting is touted on Elections Canada’s website as a way for young people to “speak your mind”. But if candidates aren’t addressing the issues that matter to young people, they answer with resounding silence.
In 2002, a study commissioned by Elections Canada found that just over 25 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds had voted in the 2000 federal election. Further studies showed that although youth were less likely to vote, they were not necessarily cynical about the electoral process.
“There’s a lot of doom-and-gloom talk about the disengagement of youth,” says Eileen Saunders, PhD/83, director of the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs and associate dean. “Although youth aren’t engaged in the formal process of voting, they are engaged in alternate forms of political behaviour.”
Forming groups in social networking tools like Facebook, boycotting corporations, protesting, volunteering and “culture jamming”—using popular culture in ironic ways to make a statement — are some of the ways young people express their civic engagement.
In June, Saunders will join other experts from around the world in Vienna, Austria to focus on electoral education at a meeting organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, a Swedish-based intergovernmental organization that strengthens democratic institutions and processes.
“My focus is on getting young people involved in the political process,” says Saunders. “If they don’t vote because they don’t see the issues being relevant to them, then they aren’t seen as a voter base by the major parties and aren’t targeted in the platforms.”
Saunders’ interest in youth and civic engagement developed as a result of her involvement with Kroeger College. As associate dean, a post she has held for 10 years, Saunders was involved in the design and launch of the Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management program. She then became the inaugural director, building the program renowned for training future leaders.
“Cynical, disengaged youth is not my experience here,” she says. “Our students are engaged in their communities and in the political process. So I became interested in what defines a good citizen and how society can educate and nurture them.”
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Fast fact…
After 8 years as director of the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs and 10 years as associate dean of the Faculty of Public Affairs, Eileen Saunders is handing over the reins to Associate Professor Chris Dornan, BJ/78, on July 1. After taking a sabbatical, she will return to the School of Journalism and Communication.