Elections Canada and Apathy is Boring are holding an Art of Democracy National Youth Challenge that invites young Canadians aged 14–30 to answer the question "What does your democracy mean to you?" Here is my response:

For me, democracy is a responsibility and an obligation; a responsibility to engage oneself in civic discourse and an obligation to seek out and understand the actors and stories that shape our communities. Democracy is far more than having, and acting upon, the right to vote. Unfortunately many young people under the age of majority do not perceive democracy this way, and as such feel powerless. The term ‘leaders of tomorrow’ is often used when describing the potential young people possess for evoking change in their community. This implies that youth are incapable of providing a leadership role in their current state, and that at some undefined moment in their life they are granted the ability to be leaders. This attitude that leadership and influence are not earned through ability or effort, but granted at a particular stage in life is purely authoritarian. Having a voice in civic discourse is not a privilege to be earned, but a right available to all Canadians, regardless of whether they are of voting age. Cultural, economic, and technological forces will ensure that the world young people inherit as adults will be much different than today.

As globalism and technological innovations increasingly bridge cultural and economic gaps, it becomes ever more important that young people are raised to think globally and see themselves as global citizens. However, before this is can be accomplished, before youth are able conceive of how they may play an active role on the global stage, they must understand their own communities. The term “think globally, act locally” was first coined by philosopher René Dubos to illustrate how local actions could have broad global effects. Young people must recognize the importance of understanding and involving themselves in local affairs so they may apply these learnings to national and international issues.

The past twenty years has seen a decline in youth participation in Canadian elections, encompassing federal, provincial, and municipal levels of government. In the most recent Canadian federal elections, youth turnout ranged from 37 percent in 2004, up to 43.8 percent in 2006, and back down to 37.4 percent in 2008. (www.elections.ca/res/rec/part/estim/estimation40_e.pdf) Of all age groups, the youth demographic turnout was the lowest for all three of these elections. Age-based results from the 2011 election have yet to be released, but the trend so far has been discouraging. It is evident that it is absolutely important to civically engage young people before they are eligible to vote, so that once they enter the age of majority, the right to vote will be acted upon. However, as important as voting is, it is but one component of civic competence. Youth have the potential to become active and influential within their communities long before they are eligible to vote, but they must be engaged in dialog about the role they may play. It requires a collaborative effort with techniques that ensure that knowledge is shared and transformed.

Creating democratically minded young citizens who are active, creative, and engaged requires families, neighbourhoods, community organizations, local businesses, and governments to participate in dialog with youth. Dialog must be established so that youth are able to fully understand how and why they may contribute, and so that adults may understand how they can enhance the existing flow of knowledge. This must be authentic dialog, with an eventual goal of transforming the knowledge that shapes our communities. This involves developing relationships between youth and their community that are mutually beneficial. The traditional concept of the teacher-student relationship must be abandoned; the teacher must teach their students, but learn from them as well. At the end of the day, youth, adults, and democracy as a whole should benefit from this learning relationship.