YPP Network Description

The MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP) formed out of recognition that youth are critical to the future of democracy and that the digital age is introducing technological changes that are impacting how youth develop into informed, engaged, and effective actors.

Digital Opportunities for Civic Education
Cover sheet for Digital Opportunities for Civic Education
by Joseph Kahne, Jacqueline Ullman, Ellen Middaugh
January 1, 2011
The youngest generations participate the least in civic life, with a full 55 percent of those under thirty recently judged as civically and politically “disengaged’ in a report by the National Conference on Citizenship. Close to two- thirds (64 percent) of young adults aged 18-29 say that they are “not at all” interested in campaign news. Judged by traditional measures, current levels of youth civic knowledge and participation are problematic. We argue that civic educators’ ability to address this situation productively requires increased attention to the civic and political dimensions of digital media.