Hey everyone! As the GYA approaches, we’ve been swamped with getting everything ready for you wonderful delegates. The workshops have been finalized and posted on our website so when you register, you can also select your workshops. Have a read through and see what interests you!
Are you a twenty-something young professional with big ideas, big hopes and a vision for a more equitable and just world? Have you ever been called a leader of tomorrow, today? Well, as clichéd as might sound, it’s true. Gen Y is a demographic of citizens that seems to fall into two rather distinct categories: the hyper-engaged and the apathetic.
Apathy is Boring…
Apathy is a very serious problem within a democratic society. Democracy is only as strong as a healthy engaged citizenry and when youths don’t bother learning about the issues, participating in civil society and making their voices heard. When the citizenry is apathetic, a government will begin to believe that it alone knows what is best for us and make our decisions for us without our consent.
When governments make generalizations like, “This is supported by the silent majority”, this is when red flags should go up. Arguably, there is no such thing as a silent majority but even if there was, there is no basis for consent to be had especially when there is a particularly vocal opposition. Argumentum ex silentio (argument from silence) cannot be taken for a form of consent in a democratic society—at least not when the proper procedures are followed and debate and consultations are allowed to take place.
However, it’s not entirely unreasonable that a government might come to the conclusion that argument from silence is perfectly acceptable in lieu of actual consent when the citizenship doesn’t participate. So…what to do about that?
Action is Hot!
One of our partners, Apathy is Boring, promotes democratic participation in today’s citizen by promoting the fact that democracy is sexy.
By engaging youth who are disengaged, Apathy Is Boring aims to be the entry point for young people into lifelong active citizenry. Our aim is to really communicate with youth using a mix of creative, content-driven projects that engage, motivate and educate. With this site, we aim to create an online resource and a community in which young people can connect with each other — because apathy is boring, and democracy is sexy.
We are very pleased to say that Apathy is Boring will be coming out to the GYA to host a panel entitled Action is Hot, Apathy is Not: Politics and Building Community that will discuss this featuring young politicians and activists from across Canada.
Be a Leader Today. Ignite change now!
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