Political participation of youths in Malta

Abstract

Having been involved in certain youth organizations for a. number of years, I have experienced the satisfaction of developing my political awareness with other young members. But, unfortunately, this has been tinged with disillusionment for the number of youths attending the various activities that we organize specifically for young people leaves much to be desired. In fact a belief which holds in Malta is that youths are not politically involved. This study will not try to confirm the truism of this statement; it will rather try to find the underlying causes for this lack of youth involvement and interest in politics. Since school is one of the main socializing agents of an individual up to the late adolescent years the focus will be on this institution, i.e., what the school does or fails to do as the political literacy of individuals. The proposition on which this study will be based is that participation in school activities which a.re conducive to raise the political consciousness of individuals - such as taking part in political debates or assuming leadership roles - would lead to a more politically literate youth and effectively to more interest and involvement in political affairs [...]