South Sudanese youth, the role of civics education, and the ways of impact on civics education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Youth and civics education as a discourse on democratic thinking

Proposal

This dissertation study focused on the role of civics education in the minds of South Sudanese youth through a better understanding of how they experience civics education, civic agency and civic engagement. In order to achieve these aims, I interviewed South Sudanese youth who are members and/or participants of youth-led organizations in South Sudan and Uganda. Youth-led organizations can play a vital role in peacebuilding and can inspire new meanings and applications of education and curricula, and the potential of transforming critical self-awareness (Duany et al., 2021, O’Donoghue, 2006; Wawa, 2021). During and after a civil war, with the intersection of inconsistent access to education, South Sudanese youth-led organizations could serve as models of civics education that may be otherwise inaccessible or missing in formal and informal education settings (Davies, 2004; Pashby, 2018; Wawa, 2021). Youth could re-vision their social worlds and undertake forms of collective and individual change based on knowledge gained through critical inquiries and reflection (O’Donoghue, 2006; Torre & Fine, 2006).

When examining how youth are conceptualizing civic engagement and agency, there has been a notable shift away from interacting with the traditional or conventional forms of civic engagement such as reading newspapers, joining political parties, and voting (CYCC, 2013; Daniel & Antoniw, 2015; Watts & Flanagan, 2007; Youniss et al., 2002). Rather, some youth are gravitating towards social action that stems from pertinent local, national, and global issues, and utilizing skills such as artistry and social networking technologies (Daniel & Antoniw, 2015). Tereshchenko’s (2010) research on Ukrainian youth and civic engagement and Quaynor’s (2011) review of citizenship education in 18 post-conflict countries argues for a more inclusive and flexible approach in acknowledging the different dimensions in which youth can be understood to be acting as citizens. In addition, Nordic youth civic studies from Amnå and Ekman’s (2014) forms of “political passivity” that can be conceptualized as potentially active engagement by “stand-by citizens” who stay informed, alert, and ready to participate if needed, and Lieberkind and Bruun’s (2021) insights from IEA’s International Civic and Citizenship Education Studies’ (ICCS) 2009 and 2016 ICCS data on youth’s perceptions and attitudes on active and passive dimensions of citizenship, explore the need to broaden the understanding of an engaged citizen.

Therefore, the focus on how rather than if youth are learning and experiencing citizenship could be a better measure of their beliefs and attitudes that lead to positive and effective civic agency and engagement, particularly in conflict settings (CYCC, 2013; Quaynor, 2011; Stevick & Levinson, 2007; Torney-Purta & Barber, 2011). How youth conceptualize the issues related to civics and identity, the spaces they occupy, and the connections of educational curriculum and societal and cultural attitudes are important to understanding the value of experiences encountered by them in their everyday lives (Blevins et al., 2016; Camino & Zeldin, 2002; Schulz et al., 2017). A better understanding of the causality, opportunities, and challenges within and between these areas may contribute to a better understanding of how youth conceptualize their everyday experiences and, even in the face of conflict, emerge with a sense of agency that can be transformative and look toward a new future, and models of action for a better world (Davies, 2004; Schwartz, 2010).

However, as African, and especially South Sudanese narratives have been missing in the literature (Ichikowitz Family Foundation, 2020; Torney-Purta et al., 2001; Wawa, 2021), this study also aims to fill a research gap by adding missing voices to the discourse and broadening the understanding of civics education and civic engagement, not only for the youth, but also inclusive of the populations within South Sudan and its diaspora (Torre & Fine, 2006).

Author

• Tami Carsillo, George Mason University