Doing Democracy in "Third Places": Youth Citizenship Education

by Stéphanie Gaudet Full Professor (Editor), Caroline Caron PhD. Communications (Editor), Sophie Théwissen-LeBlanc (Contribution by), Brieg Capitaine (Contribution by), Hérold Constant (Contribution by)

Overview

Resulting from a collaborative approach, Doing Democracy in "Third Places" presents the results of multi-site ethnographic research in seven Quebec civil society organizations. It reports on observations, analyses and comparisons of a diversity of innovative citizenship education practices aimed at young people in these “third places”, i.e. socialization spaces different from school and family.

Focusing on the presentation of case studies, the book reveals the diversity of formative experiences offered to young Quebecers. The pooling of case analyses leads to a fruitful reflection on education for democratic citizenship through a plurality of citizen experimentation practices rooted in the defense of children’s rights, feminist social action, the community movement, alterglobalism and municipal and school public action.

With its original conceptual vocabulary and qualitative methodological approach, this book will help to push back the geolinguistic and disciplinary boundaries that often separate research currents closely or remotely related to the social and political engagement and participation of young people. Written in an accessible style, it is aimed at a wide audience, including youth organization staff, graduate students, the youth policy sector and anyone interested in the issues surrounding youth citizenship in the 21st century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780776641751
Publisher:	Les Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa Press
Publication date:	04/22/2025
Pages:	246
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.52(d)
Age Range:	15 Years

About the Author

Stéphanie Gaudet is Full Professor and Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Citizenship and Minorities (CIRCEM) at the University of Ottawa. She works on social and political participation, particularly that of young people, life courses and qualitative methodology. She leads a partnership research project (SSHRC) on citizenship education experiences in community and associative settings (educationetdemocratie.ca) and a research project on youth social and political engagement pathways (SSHRC).

Caroline Caron is Full Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Universityé du Québec en Outaouais. She specializes in gender relations in media and communication, as well as the study of youth media and forms of civic engagement practiced by adolescents through digital communication tools. Her recent research is among the pioneering work to document the civic uses of videoblogging among young YouTube users in the Canadian context.

Sophie Théwissen-LeBlanc holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies from the University of Ottawa. Her master’s thesis focused on citizenship education for adolescent girls and young women in a Montreal-area feminist organization, the results of which were published in the journal Recherches féministes. She has contributed to several research projects on youth, gender, media and citizenship as a research assistant or professional.

Brieg Capitaine is Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (Paris), and is interested in the civil sphere and social movements. He coordinated the book Mouvements sociaux. Quand le sujet devient acteur (Éditions de la FMSH, 2016) and, with Geoffrey Pleyers, the special issue “Jeunes alteractivistes : d’autres manières de faire de la politique?” in the journal Agora Débats/Jeunesses.



Hérold Constant holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Ottawa. His thesis focuses on the relationship to work of immigrants of Haitian origin. He collaborated on the research partnership as a research assistant.

Alexandre Cournoyer holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Ottawa. His thesis focuses on the social and political participation of young adults. He collaborated on the research partnership as a research assistant.

Emilie Drapeau is a PhD student at the University of Ottawa’s School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies. Her research focuses on conjugal commitment, which she situates at the crossroads of the sociologies of the family, the couple, youth, life courses and religion. She collaborated on the research partnership as research assistant and research coordinator.

Mariève Forest is a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies and a researcher affiliated with the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Citizenship and Minorities (CIRCEM). She is also President and Senior Researcher at Sociopol, a company specializing in applied social research, consulting and collective support. As a researcher, she specializes in public decision-making, social policies related to official languages, social change and citizenship education.

Maxime Goulet-Langlois is a researcher-practitioner with a passion for philosophical practices and popular education, currently completing a PhD in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. His research interests concern the professional development infrastructures by which third-sector practitioners inform their analyses of social problems. He is also a lecturer at HEC Montréal, where he teaches program evaluation.

François Marchand has been a social worker since 2007 (Universityé du Québec en Outaouais), focusing on community action and organization. He became interested in public participation in Quebec’s sociosanitary institutions as part of a master’s degree in political science at the University of Ottawa (2015). He is currently pursuing doctoral studies in sociology, where he is studying children’s social participation (University of Ottawa).

Table of Contents

Preface


List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements


Introduction
Stéphanie Gaudet and Caroline Caron


Part I—Theoretical Background


Chapter 1
Democratic Citizenship Education in Quebec’s Third Places
Stéphanie Gaudet and Caroline Caron


Democratic Citizenship Education
Youth Citizen Participation in Quebec
Citizen Education in Third Places: Learning in a Democracy
Types of Initiatives in Third Places
A Study in Partnership
Conclusion


Chapter 2
A Brief Introduction to Youth Citizenship in the Social Sciences Caroline Caron and Stéphanie Gaudet


What Is Citizenship?
How Citizenship Differs for Children Compared to Adults
Participation as an Exercise in Citizenship
Conclusion


Part II—Case Studies
A) Experiences in Citizenship Education Based on Participatory Democracy


Chapter 3
A Friendly Introduction to Civic Participation: The Institut du Nouveau Monde Summer School
Emilie Drapeau and Stéphanie Gaudet


Citizenship Summer School
How Young People Experience Citizenship Education
Adult–Youth Collaboration
What Have Young People and Communities Gained from the Experience?
Conclusion


Chapter 4
Oxfam-Québec’s World Walk: A Critical and Participatory Citizenship Experience for Secondary School Students
Brieg Capitaine and Hérold Constant


Oxfam-Québec’s Partnership with Secondary Schools
The World Walk
Youth–Adult Partnerships at School
Youth Experiences: “There’s Room to Be Yourself”
Conclusion


B) Experiences in Citizenship Education Based on Creating Social Change


Chapter 5
A Feminist Approach to Citizenship at YWCA Montreal: Strong Girls, Strong World
Sophie Théwissen-LeBlanc, Caroline Caron, and Stéphanie Gaudet


YWCA Montreal and the Strong Girls, Strong World Program
The IntersectionnELLES Documentary: Long-Term Voluntary Participation
An Introduction to Collective Action from a Feminist Approach to Citizenship
Reciprocity and Collaboration: Building Trust in Youth–Adult Partnerships
An Authentic Collective Learning Experience Rooted in the Real World
Conclusion


Chapter 6
Between Justice and Care: The CPSG Children’s Rights Committee
Stéphanie Gaudet and François Marchand


The Children’s Rights Committee
Citizenship Education Based on Justice and Care
Adult–Youth Collaboration
6.4. What Do Children and Communities Gain from the Experience?
Conclusion


Chapter 7
Exeko’s Cultural and Intellectual Mediation Approach: Introducing Teens to Their Neighbourhood’s Activist Tradition
Maxime Goulet-Langlois and Emilie Drapeau


From Ideas to Action: Raising Youth Citizenship Awareness about Local Civic Issues
Becoming Citizens at their Own Pace: From Civic Participation to Social Justice
Empowering Youth as Equal Partners
“#Pointe-Saint-Charles c’est chez nous!” Students’ Views on the Activist Tradition
Community-Based Citizenship Education


C) Experiences in Citizenship Education Based on Representative Democracy and Public Action


Chapter 8
A Democratic and Political Experience: Citizenship Education at the Commission jeunesse de Gatineau
Mariève Forest and Stéphanie Gaudet


The Commission jeunesse de Gatineau
Theoretical Considerations
Training and Transformation in Youth–Adult Relationships
Power and Equality in Youth–Adult Relationships
Experiential Learning: Youth Empowerment in Collective Contexts
What Youth Gain from Their Commission Experience
Conclusion


Chapter 9
Learning Democracy Through Adversity: The Forum jeunesse de l’île de Montréal and the Prends ta place à l’école Program
Sophie Théwissen-LeBlanc, Stéphanie Gaudet,
and Alexandre Cournoyer


The FJÎM and Prends ta place à l’école
The Initiative and the Role of Youth
Socio-historical Context: The Maple Spring
Relations with Adults
What Youth Gained from the Experience
The Challenges of Participatory Citizenship


Conclusion
Doing Democracy with Youth: Four Lessons from the Third Places of Citizenship Education in Quebec
Stéphanie Gaudet and Caroline Caron


Methodological Annex
Stéphanie Gaudet


Bibliography
Author Biographies
Contributors
Index