Cultivating Good Citizens

The rights of children and young people to participate in decisions that impact on their lives has been enshrined in legislation in Australia and the United Kingdom; for example: Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act (New South Wales Government, 1998) and The Children and Young People’s Plan [England] Regulations (2005). However, the depth and extent of these statutory obligations vary across jurisdictions, according to the type of public body and the community of children and young people concerned. There are few legal obligations to involve young people and changes in government are often accompanied by significant changes in political commitment, policy and funding (Fleming, 2013). While they lack the binding obligations of statutes, reports, guides and models for youth participation, largely developed by scholars and NGOs have been influential, particularly in the community sector and local government. The institutional location, legislative mandates, models and resources that underpin youth participation policies at various levels of government produce multiple frames in which youth civic cultures and identities emerge. They indicate whether governments at various levels are resisting or engaging productively with new forms of youthful political identity, participation and cultures (Vromen and Collin, 2010).