Teenagers’ Citizenship: Experiences and Education

The introduction of compulsory citizenship education into the national curriculum has generated a plethora of new interests in the politics of childhood and youth. Citizenship for Teenagers explores teenagers’ acts of and engagement with citizenship in their local communities and examines the role of citizenship education in creating future responsible citizens.

The first half of the book provides the context for teenagers’ experiences of citizenship, discussing issues around the ideas of childhood and citizenship, as well as the curriculum. The second half goes on to explore teenagers’ experiences of citizenship education, practising citizenship and exclusion from citizenship. The book concludes with a call for a new cumulative approach to citizenship which upgrades the status of teenagers, particularly within the classroom.

Susie Weller’s important book will throw new light on how teenagers engage with citizenship education and take on civic responsibility. It is an interesting and useful read for all those involved with education and youth policy as well as those studying for a PGCE or researching in citizenship education.

Susie Weller, a Research Fellow at London South Bank University, is currently working on the ’Locality, School and Social Capital’ project in the Families and Social Capital ESRC Research Group. In June 2004 she completed her PhD which explored teenagers’ experiences of social exclusion and citizenship in rural communities. She has also worked on a project, commissioned by the DfES, which explored the impact of out of school childcare on children and their families.