Active Citizenship and
As a fundamental right listed among civil and political rights, the right to participation means the right to be involved in any process that directly or indirectly concerns them. Although today the right to participation is primarily understood as the right to vote in local and national elections, every citizen has the right to participate in every decision-making process as “themselves”. In his famous work “Politics”, Aristotle defines a citizen as a person who participates in governance “thoughtfully and critically”. In this context, individuals becoming active citizens depends on equipping themselves with critical knowledge on the one hand, and democratizing the system sufficiently on the other. In this session, the issue of active citizenship will be discussed through the group members defined as Generation Z. Some of the questions to be answered in the session are as follows:
- How can we achieve active citizenship?
- What does Generation Z think about the right to participate?
- How does Generation Z view active citizenship in building the future?
Moderator
Rapporteur
Assoc. Prof. Duru ŞAHYAR AKDEMİR
Ecem Ünlütürk
After graduating from Ege University, Department of International Relations, Duru ŞAHYAR AKDEMİR received her master’s and doctorate degrees from Hacettepe University, Department of Human Rights. Duru Şahyar Akdemir, who has been working at Anadolu University, Faculty of Economics, Department of Political Science and Public Administration since 2016, studies and lectures on human rights, women’s rights, urban rights, political participation, and local democracy.
Ecem Ünlütürk completed her primary, secondary and high school education in Balıkesir and Eskişehir. In 2017, she started the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Ankara Atılım University with a full scholarship. In 2021, she graduated from the department with a degree. In October 2021, she started her master’s degree with thesis in Political Science and Public Administration at Anadolu University and successfully completed her master’s degree in 2023. During her undergraduate education, she participated in the activities of the Ankara City Council Youth Assembly and took part in the executive board. She actively participates in Odunpazarı City Council Human Rights working group activities.