Youth participation: a new approach based on the intersections between models, views and European policies

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Education policies have indicated the importance of youth participation in schools, which is one of the European Goals within the EU Youth Strategy framed by the EU youth policy cooperation for 2019-2027. The subject of youth participation refers to multiple definitions and diverse theoretical frameworks, which show the difficulty of finding a consensual definition or approach. The main objective of the current paper is to characterize youth participation models and to identify how those models convey different views, establishing possible connections with political discourses. METHOD. The study is based on an interpretive perspective. Data was collected by documentary analysis of 28 models of youth participation, which were analysed in the light of four pre-established categories: orthodox, multidimensional participation, qualitative and non-conformist. RESULTS. The majority of the 28 models of youth participation were specifically designed for children and young people; they fit a bottom-up perspective and were focused on non-formal education contexts. In addition, these models underline a multidimensional view of participation. DISCUSSION. The results evidence a trend towards considering an ideological relationship between youth participation and democracy, as advocated in European youth policies.