Civic Participation as Means of Empowerment. Preventing Social Exclusion of Youth in Precarious Life Conditions in Spain

Authors

  • María Jesús Funes Rivas Sociology III Department Sociology and Political Sciencies Faculty. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
  • José Manuel Robles Sociology Departament. Economical Sciencies Faculty. Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Abstract

This article explores the possible effects of empowerment as a result of being involved in civic associations in people living in conditions of precariousness, focusing specifically on Spanish youth at risk of social exclusion. The article shows that, in the absence of individual economic and educational resources, the environmental stimuli provided by particular associations may prove highly relevant in order to improve the situation of this group of young people. These associations teach youth civic practices and values that help them manage precariousness and provide them with new resources to seek new life opportunities. To a certain degree, these associations manage to compensate for the lack of personal resources. We present the results of a qualitative study for which data were collected from 122 young individuals. The study identifies specific factors of vulnerability and explains how they can be dealt with. It also demonstrates that, thanks to civic engagement, the young people involved were able to develop capabilities that reduced their risk of falling into marginality and enhanced their chances of finding new life opportunities.

Keywords

civic practices, risk of exclusion, contextual opportunities, empowerment

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Author Biographies

María Jesús Funes Rivas, Sociology III Department Sociology and Political Sciencies Faculty. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

María J. Funes is Professor of Sociology in the Faculty in Sociology and Political Sciences UNED (National University of Education at Distance) in Spain,. Ph. D, from UNED in 1998. Her research interests are: social movements, participation, political cultural and political socialization. The last publications are: “The cultural consequences of engagement in participatory processes”, in Participatory mechanisms in Southern Europe: causes, mechanisms and consequences. Joan Font, Donatella della Porta, Yves Sintomer (Eds.) Rowman and Littlefield International (2013) (Forthcoming). “La política no convencional ¡a escena!” in Anuario del Observatorio del Conflicto Social de 2011. (2012); y A propósito de Tilly: conflicto, poder y acción colectiva(Edito.) and author of: “A propósito de Tilly: cómo acercarse al autor y a su obra” in the same book (2011), Madrid: Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas.
email: mfunes@poli.uned.es

José Manuel Robles, Sociology Departament. Economical Sciencies Faculty. Universidad Complutense de Madrid

José Manuel Robles is Ph.D. in Sociology from the UCM. His field of research is the information and knowledge society, digital political participation and digital inequalities (digital divide). He has been visiting research in academic institutions as the University of California-San Diego, Juan March Foundation and the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (UOC). He has been in charge of research projects for, among others, the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology or the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) where he worked for several years coordinating the area of Information and knowledge Society. He is currently assistant professor in the department of Sociology (Section III) of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. His last publications are: “Activating activist. The link between political participation and digital political participation” (2012) Information, Communication and Society, 16(6), 856-877. “Digital divide and the Information and Communication society in Spain”. Sociology and Space, 50 (3), 291-307.(2012). “The Internet skills as key factor for digital political participation in Spain”. The European Journal of Communication Research. (forthcoming) (2013).
email: jmrobles@ccee.ucm.es

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.2093

Published

06-07-2016

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Copyright (c) 2016 María Jesús Funes Rivas, José Manuel Robles

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