Now: prefigurative politics through a north Indian lens

This paper focuses on ‘prefigurative politics’ – embodying in the present one's vision of the future – among young people in north India. In so doing it contributes to wider debates on oppositional politics, temporality, India and youth. Building on recent fieldwork in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, we highlight the ubiquity of civic-minded everyday forms of prefigurative politics among a subset of young men and young women. We examine the temporality of this politics, which, like other recent prefigurative action across the world, emphasizes acting in the present. Young people in north India tend to view the future not as a point on the horizon but as the precipitate of their daily activities. By identifying the energetic attempts of young people within and beyond India to engage in social action, we also provide a counterpoint to negative stereotypes of youth circulating in the media and some scholarly circles.     

Closed spaces or (in)competent citizens? A study of youth preparedness for participation in elections in Zimbabwe

This study sets out to explore the barriers to youth participation and how youth could be supported to enhance their participation in elections and governance processes in Zimbabwe. The study was carried out using quantitative methodologies. A survey was carried out to collect data, which in turn was analysed using SPSS. Evidence from the study shows that decision-making processes are not improving and becoming more participatory and youth inclusive. It was observed that youth participation in elections and governance processes is low and it is hampered inter alia by restrictive political structures, lack of interest, lack of information and lack of funds. Whilst some youth are ready to run for public office, they need to freely participate in politics and develop without restrictions, including getting support through leadership training. These young candidates will also need training in elections and governance processes as well as mobilise and sensitise other youth to register to vote if they are to succeed in their quest for public office. Resources and support must be given to youth-led initiatives that are reaching out to young people and ensure they play their part in democratic processes at all levels of governments.     

“冰桶挑战”风靡青年群体现象的启示与反思

"冰桶挑战"以个人的小微力量唤起全社会对罕见病的关注,低廉的经济成本,只是在网络上点击观看视频,却传递出青年群体对弱者的关爱之心,无疑是符合青年群体的价值追求。相较于传统公益文化模式,以"冰桶挑战"为代表的创新公益文化模式,赢得了青年群体的积极响应与参与。创新公益文化模式顺应了青年群体的文化崛起趋势,融合了网络恶搞文化元素,满足了青年群体心理需求,适应了青年群体价值观鲜明展现的需求,值得国内慈善公益组织反思与借鉴。     

新生代农民工市民化的现实需求探究

新生代农民工作为农民工的主体，已成为我国经济社会发展的重要力量，其市民化问题是解决中国城市化的关键。在市民化的进程中，新生代农民工面临生活、发展、情感等多重现实需求，应引起政府、企事业单位以及社会各方的高度重视，采取切实可行的办法来逐一解决，实现社会的真正和谐发展。     

石油企业青年人才培养刍议

人才资源是第一资源,青年人才是人才资源中最富有潜力和活力的部分,是企业未来可持续发展的重要资源。青年人才的素质高低决定着石油企业的兴衰和成败。由于受多种因素的影响,石油企业在青年人才培养方面还存在着一些问题和不足。石油企业要培养和打造一支适应新时期企业发展的高素质青年人才队伍,就必须采取切实可行的对策,如建立合理的青年人才激励机制,切实解决青年人才的生活困难,创造青年人才成长的良好环境,建立导师带徒制和提高培训针对性等。     

The coping strategies and responses of African youth in New Zealand to their encounters with the police

This article looks at the coping behaviors used by African youth in Aoteaora New Zealand during their encounters with the police. African youth are one of New Zealand's newest and youngest populations yet report disturbing accounts of racial provocation and abuse by the New Zealand police. In a research study carried out with African youth about their experiences with the police, qualitative interviews with the youth and African community leaders revealed that the youth responded to the discriminatory behaviors of the police in a number of ways. These responses included being obstructive, demonstrating vigilance of police practices, and avoiding subsequent encounters with the police, and indicate that the youth are prepared to challenge the perceived racism of the police.     

Kinship Family Relatedness,Nuclear Family Contact,and Social Support Among Foster Youth

Using a sample of 16-year-old youth placed with kinship foster families in California, the current study examines the relationship between kinship foster family structure and foster youth's biological family contact and support. Latent class analysis was used to examine differences in family structure based on the relatedness between foster youth and other members of the kinship family household. Subsequently, the respective relationships among household structure and foster youths' characteristics, experiences, and biological family contact and support were examined. We find that the kinship families serving foster youth are represented by four distinct household types, including sibling and grandparent households. Kinship family household type is found to be statistically significantly associated with youths' contact with siblings, closeness to caregivers, and perceived social support. Implications for kinship foster family scholarship are discussed.     

改革开放以来当代青年道德观的历史变革与思考

改革开放以来,随着政治、经济、文化等领域的变革,当代青年的道德观念也发生了很大的变化。一方面,改革开放使青年人形成了新的道德观念和道德评价标准;另一方面,当代青年的道德观念经历着前所未有的历史变革,道德不仅变得多元化,而且对青年人适应社会变化起到越来越重要的作用。文章对当代青年道德观念的变化加以分析,并提出道德建设的实际构想。     

论青年志愿行为的社会引领效应

志愿服务是青年现代社会参与的有效方式,青年参与志愿服务不仅满足自身成长和发展的内在需求,而且能够有效地作用于全社会。青年通过志愿行动产生社会行为引领效应;青年倡导志愿精神产生社会价值引领效应;青年传播志愿文化产生社会风尚引领效应。青年在参与志愿服务中产生的“奉献、友爱、互助、进步”精神正成为全社会的普遍诉求,引领和推动着我国志愿服务事业的发展。     

Nonviolent revolutions: civil resistance in the late 20th century

Why do young Africans participate less in elections than their older counterparts? Given Africa's growing youth bulge, this constituency represents a numerically important voting bloc, and their lower participation in elections could undermine the legitimacy of the region's democratic trajectory. We address this question through a multi-level model that relies on individual-level data from the Afrobarometer surveys and country-level data for 19 of the region's more democratic countries. We classify Africa's youth as belonging to two categories, those aged 18–24 and those aged 25–35. We find that key determinants of the youth's voting behaviour include their access to political knowledge and information as well as their perceptions of the electoral context and party system. In the latter regard, the efficacy and fairness of elections and the degree of partisanship increase the youth's decision to vote, while the length of party incumbency is a deterrent to turnout. These findings hold important implications by highlighting that Africa's youth not only need to be exposed to greater fora for learning about the political process and party options but also that political parties in the region need to become more relevant to this constituency.