Alden Rivers, B., Hazenberg, R. and Bajwa-Patel, M. (2015) Barriers and enablers of youth as drivers of social change: university students’ perspectives. Seminar Presentation presented to: Journal of Youth Studies Conference 2015, Copenhagen, Denmark, 29 March - 01 April 2015. (Unpublished)
Presented version (paper) (1MB) |
Presented version (slides) (787kB) |
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Seminar Presentation) |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | As a progressive society, there is an expectation for young people to become the social leaders and innovators of tomorrow. Not only does this expectation imply an intergenerational ‘passing of the baton’ but also this scenario assumes that young people value social change and possess the self-efficacy that empowers them to ignite positive social change. Added to this is a fundamental assumption that social constructs will enable young people to work as change agents, rather than create hindrances. A complexity for higher education institutions is how to develop young people’s capacities for social change given the inevitable variance in how much their students value and believe they have the ability for ‘changemaking’. This study explored university students’ conceptions of social change and their perspectives on the tools and resources needed to engage in social changemaking. Two focus groups were held at the University of Northampton, which elicited students’ (n=10) views on 1) their conceptions of social change and social innovation, 2) their perceptions of what enables young people to engage with social change and 3) their beliefs about the barriers that exist for young people in being or becoming change agents. Findings from this study offer important implications for higher education institutions that aim to engage in positive youth development as part of the curricular or extra-curricular provision. By illuminating the perceived barriers and enablers for youth in driving social change, higher education institutions will be in a stronger position from which to nurture this generation of ‘changemakers’. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Social innovation, social change, changemaking, youth, higher education |
| Subjects: |
L Education > LC Special aspects of Education > LC237 College-university and the community L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education L Education > LC Special aspects of Education > LC65 Social aspects of education H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory > HB615 Entrepreneurship. Risk and uncertainty. Property |
| Creators: | Alden Rivers, Bethany, Hazenberg, Richard and Bajwa-Patel, Meanu |
| Northamptonshire and East Midlands: | Education, Training and Skills |
| Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: |
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Group > Social Enterprise Research Group University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Centre > Institute for Social Innovation and Impact Research Institutes > Institute for Social Innovation and Impact |
| Date: | 29 March 2015 |
| Date Type: | Presentation |
| Event Title: | Journal of Youth Studies Conference 2015 |
| Event Dates: | 29 March - 01 April 2015 |
| Event Location: | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Event Type: | Conference |
| Language: | English |
| Status: | Unpublished |
| Refereed: | No |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/7505 |
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