Abstract

It is currently a common belief in Canada that for a democracy to be effective its population must be engaged and active in the processes of politics and governance. In this context, the participation of youth has become a concern for Canadian decision-makers and the general public. Complaints and worries regarding young Canadians' disinterest in, or apathy towards, politics and low levels of young voter turnout in elections are common. The government and society at large are increasingly calling upon youth to act in their role as citizens: To participate in the social and political realms of Canadian society. But how are youth being asked to participate? Who is invited and under what circumstances? The encouragement of particular forms of youth social and political participation has consequences for youth as Canadian citizens. Through a contextualized examination of representations of youth social and political participation found in selected National Film Board of Canada films and Canadian websites I present, in this thesis, an exploration of the forms of citizen identity and power relations promoted and presumed by the discourses circulating about youth participation in society. Over the past four decades, from the late-1960s until the present, the place of youth in society has changed, as have perceptions of youth and youth socio-political participation. Focusing on these changes and the impact they may have on the situating of young Canadians as participatory citizens, I explore the conflicting perspectives, tensions, and compromises that have marked representations of youth citizen participation over the years, ranging from children's rights discourses and youth media to consumerism and an enduring belief in generational difference