Student activism in secondary education: a world of alternatives

• In Event: Education for Societal Transformation: Alternatives for a Just Future (Panel 2)

Proposal

It is common to consider, both in academia and in the public debate, university students as the younger actors in movements and in political participation. While in many countries the entrance to the university corresponds to the access to full individual political rights (including the right to vote), political activism can start earlier. The global movement Fridays for Future, led by a school student, represented the most visible example of the transformative potential of students before the access to third-level education. Starting from a review of the existing literature on student activism in secondary education, and including insights from my recent studies on school student unions, this paper will provide an overview of the alternatives produced by young activists fighting across the planet for an improvement of the educational system and for a fairer society. This “world of alternatives”, just to mention some, includes the production of newspapers, self-organised supply systems of school materials, actions of radical rethinking of the school environment, intense assemblies and the creation of innovative organisational democratic structures. These practices, bringing organisation and learning outside traditional curricular space, represent a re-bordering of education at different levels, from local to national. It is essential also to consider the role that student activism has in answering to crises affecting secondary education and the society as a whole, such as neoliberal or authoritarian reforms and climate change. Exploring cases from the last decades, a reflection will emerge on the need to consider school students as potential key actors for change, and on the importance of abandoning paternalistic stances while approaching the organising of younger activists.

Author

• Giuseppe Lipari, Scuola Normale Superiore