The Educator
The Educator
In the first article released running up to AQ's Winter issue on youth leaders, the education secretary of the Capital Federal de Buenos Aires looks at why youth are losing their sense of democracy, and what to do about it.
Democracies cannot flourish with a stagnant citizenry. They require an electorate which from an early age is responsibly engaged, educated in political theory and instilled with the values from which republicanism is constructed. The lessons of democratic citizenship prepare young people to become more than observers of a regime, but actors in an equal and free community. Political involvement builds collective pride in a nation, motivating individuals to take ownership of their government. If a culture is erected around civic indifference, democracy’s strongest weapon (the power to choose governmental direction) is willingly, but perhaps unknowingly, surrendered.
Today, more than half of Latin Americans assert politics is too complicated to understand, according to a 2005 Latinobarometro report. If the multifaceted process is never explained through experience or education, civic participation inevitably wavers and political discussion is virtually silenced. Unfortunately, as is the case in the Western Hemisphere’s southern region, just 27 percent of Latin Americans discuss politics with friends and only 17 percent engage in ideological debate. Moreover, according to a 2004 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study, less than one in five reported being involved in an issue that affects them or their community; fewer than one in ten has worked for a political candidate or party.
Read the full text of this web exclusive at www.AmericasQuarterly.org.
Esteban Bullrich is the Education Secretary in the Capital Federal de Buenos Aires.
