Adolescents' theories of the commons.
Drawing from research on civic engagement and environmental commitment, we make a case for the processes inherent in how adolescents' ideas about the commons (those things that bind a polity together) develop. Engagement in the public realm with a plethora of perspectives and a goal of finding common ground is fundamental. Adolescents participate in the public realm through mini-polities (e.g., schools, community organizations). Practices in those settings can reinforce or challenge dominant political narratives. Special attention is given to the natural environment as a commons that transcends generations and to the opportunities in schools and in community partnerships that enable adolescents to realize their interdependence with nature and to author decisions about the commons.
Constance
C
Flanagan
Erin
E
Gallay
D000293:Adolescent; D003469:Culture; D004782:Environmental Health; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D011057:Politics; D011340:Problem Solving; D011582:Psychological Theory; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012933:Social Identification; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012945:Social Values