[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-149468-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-149468-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","democratizing-our-youth-citizenship-community-and-governance","Democratizing Our Youth - Citizenship, Community and Governance","","This paper argues that Ontario’s current civics curriculum is flawed by overemphasizing functional knowledge of “what is” Canada instead of enabling students to experience the emotional meaning of being Canadian. It connects youth voting apathy to broader governance and citizenship practice, highlighting the need for a community of learners. Recommendations from a National Forum on Youth Voting stress access, registration, outreach, technology, and meaningful civics education that begins early.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/democratizing-our-youth-citizenship-community-and-governance/149468/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/democratizing-our-youth-citizenship-community-and-governance/149468.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Connor ","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-25","2026-08-27",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",13,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What does the paper identify as the main flaw in Ontario’s civics curriculum?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The paper argues that it is too focused on functional content about “what is” Canada rather than helping students experience the emotional qualities of being Canadian.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Why does the paper link youth apathy to changes in citizenship and governance education?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It treats youth motivation to vote as connected to how learners are formed through citizenship and good governance, emphasizing the need to revitalize a deteriorating democracy through learning communities.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What recommendations were produced at ElectionsCanada’s National Forum on Youth Voting in 2003?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Recommendations included improved access, improved voter registration, youth outreach, greater use of technology, and civics education, with training for teachers to begin in lower 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paper we argue that the inherent flaw in the current Ontario civics curriculum is that it is too heavily influenced by the functional aspects of ‘what is’ Canada, rather than giving the opportunity to experience the emotional qualities of what it means to be Canadian.  \nCreating a community of learners based on the caveats of citizenship and good governance is the key element to the revitalization of a deteriorating democracy.  \nOver the past decade it seems as though various levels of government have attempted to figure out why our youth are so unmotivated to cast a ballot on election day. Campaign after campaign, pundits highlight youth apathy and discuss various ways of changing the functional process of elections, or different ways to try and persuade youth to vote.  \nIn an attempt to figure out why the youth of the nation were voting less and less, ElectionsCanada held a National Forum on Youth Voting in October of 2003. Representatives of various youth organizations, other nongovernmental organizations, and the Chief Electoral officer all met to discuss this problem. After keynote addresses, small group discussions were used to formulate possible solutions. Their recommendations included: improved access, improved voter registration, youth outreach, greater use of technology, and civics education.  [1]  The federal government, working with provincial ministries of education, believed teachers required more extensive training on civics, and that civics education needed to “start in lower grades”(Elections Canada 2004, 32) . While this may be seen as a laudable goal, the functional aspects of civics education are already extensively covered in the Ontario curriculum.  \nOnce students are able to recite the provinces, territories and their respective capitals, and understand the mechanics in the process of voting, teachers feel that their jobs are done and the Curriculum expectations have been met. For example, the Ontario social studies curriculum focuses on familiarizing students with the fundamentals: In grade 2, students need to have an idea of where their community is in Canada; grade 3, students learn about rural and urban communities and work to define how they coexist in contemporary Canadian society; grade 4, students learn about Canada’s physical characteristics, knowing Canada’s provinces, territories and general geographic regions; grade 5, students learn about the systems of government and how they function at various levels; and in grade 6 students discover how Canada connects to the world (Ministry of Education 2004, 38-47) . Even in the most formative years Ontarian children should be well-versed in the mechanics of defining Canada. From this basic overview of the various aspects of the nationhood, students should have the foundation for a subsequent Civics education.  \nSchools have continually sought to define what it means to be Canadian. At the high school level Civics is given greater priority and is addressed explicitly. In Ontario, the Civics curriculum contains multiple strands: informed, purposeful, and active. In the curriculum document, the Ministry outlines how students “are encouraged to identify and clarify their own beliefs and values, and to develop an appreciation of others beliefs and values about questions of civic importance”(Ministry of Education 2005, 63) . The objective of the Civics curriculum seems relatively clear – students are to define their own political beliefs based on mutual understanding and respect for those around them. Where this objective becomes questionable is when ascertaining questions of civic importance. We have to wonder: to whom are these questions important?– are they meaningful?– are they relevant? To what extent are students given the opportunity to actively engage in the process of learning through critical thought and inquiry? These are are","cbCaiuKu08FPxoTW","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuKu08FPxoTW","pdf",68464,"English","# Abstract\n## Youth voting and civic education recommendations\n## Limits of functional civics in Ontario\n## Civics objectives and student engagement\n## Liberalism, individualism, and civic cohesion","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper identify as the main flaw in Ontario’s civics curriculum?\",\"answer\":\"The paper argues that it is too focused on functional content about “what is” Canada rather than helping students experience the emotional qualities of being Canadian.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the paper link youth apathy to changes in citizenship and governance education?\",\"answer\":\"It treats youth motivation to vote as connected to how learners are formed through citizenship and good governance, emphasizing the need to revitalize a deteriorating democracy through learning communities.\"},{\"question\":\"What recommendations were produced at ElectionsCanada’s National Forum on Youth Voting in 2003?\",\"answer\":\"Recommendations included improved access, improved voter registration, youth outreach, greater use of technology, and civics education, with training for teachers to begin in lower grades.\"}]","Democratizing Our Youth - Citizenship, Community and Governance | PDF"]