Youth Politics: Engagement-Disengagement, Rights-Responsibilities, Policy and Practice School of Social and Political Sciences Public Lecture

It is clear that young people in the UK and elsewhere are not completely disengaged with politics. Indeed youth activists were frequently seen to be at the heart of the success of recent phenomena , especially in ‘new politics’ from both sides of the Scottish Referendum campaign, the rise of the SNP and other challenger parties, and the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.

However, the picture of youth politics is more complex than is commonly portrayed and understanding the nature of engagement/disengagement of young people is necessary in order to apply effectively to the policy arena.

Using evidence from the UK, Europe and Africa Andrew Russell argues that in order to take youth rights seriously some of the current repertoires of campaigning need to be restructured. In particular he believes that the case for lowering the voting age in the UK is less persuasive now than it has been for the past 50 years.

There will be an opportunity for questions after the lecture

Admission is by free ticket only. Please book at Eventbrite.