Empowering Youth Through Online Deliberative Communication. A Theoretical Note on Informed and Engaged Citizenship

Deliberative democracy, also known as discursive democracy, is a form of democracy that prioritizes open discussion and reasoned debate as the foundation for decision-making. It emphasizes the importance of informed, inclusive, and respectful dialogue among citizens to reach collective decisions that reflect the public interest. It adopts elements of both consensus decision making and majority rule. The participants in a deliberative process play a crucial role in ensuring that it remains open, inclusive, and transparent. However, young people are often perceived as having less interest in matters typically regarded as political or politicized. This paper explores the theoretical advantages of emphasizing successful approaches to providing young people with a platform and a voice, drawing inspiration from effective practices in online deliberative communication. It concludes by examining the limitations of these examples and issuing a “call to action” for greater youth participation in public discourse.