Recommended Readings

Participants had the chance to attend one of three seminars on the first day and one of five seminars/workshops on the second day. Session leaders recommended the following pre-seminar readings/programmes:

Vicious and virtuous circles: how do we bridge the gap between young people and politics?
In this session, participants explored what a major European research project, MYPLACE, tells us about the barriers to young people's participation in formal politics. What role do class, social capital, education and other demographic variables play? Participants were invited to reflect on how the research fits with their own experiences. They considered the effects and consequences of failing to engage young people in politics, and how citizenship education could help to inform and inspire young people to get involved in politics.
Pre-seminar readings:
MYPLACE UK data briefing on attitudes to politics: 'Modest interest in Politics but hostility to Politicians and Political Institutions…' 
Reasons for and impact of low voter engagement: evidence from MYPLACE project research with young people aged 16-25 in two English locations

Social inequalities and political engagement: How schools can respond 
Using original data from representative surveys of Scottish 14-17 year olds’ political attitudes captured in relation to the Scottish independence referendum, the impact of social inequalities on differential political engagement was discussed. After highlighting existing patterns of stratification, potential avenues for addressing these were discussed, in particular focusing on early youth engagement in the political process and the role schools could play within this. Taking into account the research, the discussion of this seminar centred on the question of how schools can best engage with political education and how existing barriers to changes in teaching structures could be addressed best.
Pre-seminar reading: 
How lowering the voting age to 16 can be an opportunity to improve youth political engagement. Lessons learned from the Scottish Independence Referendum

Palimpsest - debunking the myth of a single identity
This session focused on an illustrated presentation and discussion of research into the visualisation of identity construction. It drew on work with a wide variety of individuals and groups including, beginning teachers and young people from different communities affected by social- political and ethnic conflict. The seminar had a practical component to illustrate the process and the outcomes of the practical were discussed by participants.
Pre-seminar reading and programme:
Clarke, Simon. "Culture and Identity." The SAGE Handbook of Cultural Analysis. 2008. SAGE Publications. 8 Aug. 2011.  
‘Grayson Perry: Who Are You?’ (episode 3)

Additional recommended reading
Young people are less likely to vote than older citizens, but they are also more diverse in how they choose to participate in politics.
Blog by James Sloam, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Royal Holloway, University of London and Co-Director, Centre for European Politics