Paradoxes of youth participation: political activism and youth disenchantment

The aim of this chapter is to explore the paradoxes of participation for young people in relation to their engagement in politics and the political process in Australia. To do so, the chapter discusses a series of issues pertaining to youth activism and political involvement (including lack thereof), with a view to exposing the apparent contradictions in societal perception and response to young people's behaviour. The chapter builds upon ideas presented elsewhere dealing with issues of youth agency and youth activism (White, 2005). Topics to be discussed include the variable nature of youth political engagement; activism that occurs outside of approved political forums; youth participation inside approved forums; and the relationship of young people to the vote. A core thematic concern of the chapter is that of 'knowing one's mind'. Time and again, the issues of making up their mind, not knowing their mind, or being competent enough to make up their mind, surface in discussion of youth in politics. Knowing who they are as autonomous, self-interested human beings, and having the capacity to be decision-makers in their own right. are, it appears, essential to how young people are seen within the political sphere.