Around the world, two phenomena have suddenly gained attention of political, economic and social leaders of our times. The first, of course, is the intensified, vocal, visible and powerful citizensâ movementâfrom Senegal, Thailand, India, Tunisia, Egypt, UK, Chileâeverywhere. At the base of these movements are youthâyoung people from all strata and spaces of society. The message from these citizen movements is clearâthe young citizens want to be engaged in the democratic development of their societies and communities.
The second phenomena is the increasingârapidly increasingâdemand for post-secondary education in all its myriad dimensions, forms and post_contents. Millions of aspirants are queuing up for enrolment, only constraints being cost, quality and delivery. Educational administrators, planners and policy-makers are yet to figure out how to respond to this surge and diversity of demands from all societies.
Common element in these two phenomenaâcitizensâ movements and demands for post-secondary educationâare the youth today. Irrespective of the percentage of young people in a societyâs population, the young are a differently thinking, feeling and acting lot. Most existing institutions in modern societiesâgovernments, businesses, universities & collegesâare not able to understand or cope with the aspirations of the young.
Is it possible to combine these elements in a manner that the young get opportunities for meaningful engagements in societies? This is where civic engagement by post-secondary educational institutions can make a difference. By creating opportunities for civic participation and engagement during the period of education in such institutions, the young of todayâand tomorrowâcan become an integral part of democratic development of all societies. Thus, institutions of post-secondary education can find new ways of promoting learning and education of their studentsâand teachersâthrough creative forms of civic engagement.
PRIA’s MobiliseHER team traveled to Bangalore during the week of June, 10 – 14, 2024. The aim of the visit was to gain relevant insights into the civil society ecosystem in Bangalore and meet different organisations to understand the city through a lens of gender and inclusive mobility.
Working at PRIA, often leads us to various cities across the country. Each trip is an opportunity to witness firsthand the challenges and triumphs of different communities.
Mr. Yedukrishnan V has recently joined PRIA after gaining valuable experience in the development sector. Drawing from his journey in the social sector and personal encounters in Kerala, he emphasises the importance of participatory governance and research in empowering marginalised communities.'