Preferred futures: active citizenship, government and young people

Young people have been subjected to an increasing number of interventions designed to prepare them for 'active citizenship' over the past decade. These educational and welfare strategies are underpinned by sources of evidence that frame young people as lacking the capacity to engage in responsible political, social and moral behaviour. Two particular problems are often cited as the rationale for citizenship education: young people's political literacy and anti-social behaviour. Using governmentality perspectives and drawing on a recent study that investigated how young people define and experience active citizenship, this article critically reviews these two problems and the intentions of citizenship education by drawing on young people's real-world experiences. Their stories offer alternative evidence about young people's engagement and demonstrate that citizenship education is effective only in the narrow management of young people's behaviour.