Participatory democracy in schools

I was recently sent a book by an old friend, which, when I read it, chimed with my research (McPartlan, 2023). Ant and I occasionally send each other something we have read that we think the other may enjoy. On this occasion, he was spot-on. The book ‘Human Kind: A Hopeful History’ by Rutger Bregman was a fascinating read. The book's premise is that, over the years, various academics have argued that humans are either innately evil or innately good. Bregman dissects the evidence presented in an attempt to try and get to the truth. He unpicks their research, finding flaws in it, to come to the conclusion that whilst there may be individuals who are evil, the vast majority of humanity are good people who try to do the right thing for others. Within his arguments, he discusses democracy, citizenship and participation, and this is where I see an overlap with my research as I champion young people as co-contributors in schools.

To exemplify his point, the book focuses on science, prehistory, and recent world events. He explores the 1990s Afrikaans Viljoen twins' role in working with Nelson Mandela to bring about peaceful change in South Africa.  He analyses the reasons behind the unofficial 1914 Christmas truce between soldiers in the trenches during the First World War and he makes comparisons between the harsh penal regimes in the USA and Norway’s more liberal system. Without spoiling the book for anyone wanting to read it, the common thread is that we are essentially wired to be kind, look out for each other and are filled with goodness.

Bregman’s message throughout is that, as humans, we have always been relational animals. We need contact with each other in order to build an understanding of our neighbours. Once we get close to others, we start to see that we are all the same. Conversely, the greater the distance we are from individuals and groups, the easier it is for us to be persuaded that we are better than others. Both sets of soldiers in the trenches in Christmas 1914 were surprised when they greeted their enemies and discovered that what they had been told by their superiors wasn’t true. The propaganda on both sides during a war is that our enemies are ‘animals, monsters or savages’. Similarly, the book argues, of parallels in Western society today; we are constantly told by those in power that immigrants are the reason why we cannot get medical appointments or access to housing. Bregman provides examples of how once we settle down with people from other backgrounds and cultures, we start looking out for them and helping each other. In time, we get to know them and see that they are no different from us.

So why am I writing a ‘book review’ about human nature on a website dedicated to young people and participatory research? Chapter 15 is titled “This is what democracy looks like”, and it tells the story of a mayoral election in the Venezuelan town of Torres. There were two ‘traditional’ candidates, one a wealthy landowner and another from the ruling party. However, a third, called Julio Chavez, described as a ‘local agitator’, entered the race with little hope of success. His election pledge was to hand over power to the citizens of Torres, and despite being dismissed by his rivals, he won a narrow majority and became the town's mayor. He then handed over most of his budget to newly formed community groups who became citizen politicians and who were engaged in calm and deliberative participatory dialogue. This was a success and is one of the thousands of democratic participatory systems which are scattered throughout the world. Bregman suggests this participatory element of democracy is the magic which can transform his ‘seven plagues’. Engaging in participatory movements can take “cynicism to engagement, polarisation to trust, exclusion to inclusion, complacency to citizenship, corruption to transparency, self-interest to solidarity and inequality to dignity”.

I see links between this and my work with young people in schools. My research was about collaborating with young people to ensure they could evaluate a school policy's efficacy. Young People from the school’s sixth form worked with me as co-researchers. They helped me as I developed and then completed my PhD research. We worked together to investigate the value of the school’s mental health strategy in an attempt to improve it. My original and rather simplistic idea was that they would just collect data from younger participants. However, as we started working together, I discovered that in order for this to be authentic, they needed to be part of the planning process. The weekly schedule developed into an intense cycle of meetings. At the end of each week, I would meet with the co-researchers to discuss and set the upcoming research agenda. Then, the co-researchers and participants would meet, after which I would have a debrief with each co-researcher. The cycle would be completed with a review team meeting to learn from each other and reset the research direction for the following week. This was participatory democracy in action!

What strikes me is that the benefits of my research were not just the outcomes and the improvements we could make to the school policy, but the process we adopted benefited the young people involved. My co-researchers started to trust the school, and their confidence grew as they became more engaged in the research. They became empowered as their epistemic agency and their agency to act also grew. They had a clear sense of purpose in that they were serving their community in school. All young people involved had volunteered for this project and as such, were engaged in the work to try and help the school and also support their younger peers. In addition, my co-researchers built their skill sets in ways which are rarely experienced in schools. They developed an understanding of research and practised their research skills; the work with the participants developed their socio-emotional skills, and our collaboration enabled them to develop their critical thinking skills. They honed their communication skills as we published a joint paper (McPartlan, et al.,) and attended conferences to present our research.

Just as Bregman suggests participatory democracy could be a solution to the plagues he sees in society, so too do I see the potential for developing a school structure which gives young people an opportunity to become involved in the school's running. Comparing how the research was transformational links directly to the ‘plagues’.  They became engaged in school, developing their trust in it, and they felt included often for the first time in their school careers! They became true school citizens and felt solidarity in this aspect of their education; this, in turn, gave them dignity and developed their sense of self.

This research was different to the tokenistic student voice, which takes place in many schools. These are usually adult-led and often manufactured structures, for outside agencies such as OFSTED and can give the appearance of young people having their voices heard – I know because I used to lead such a system. The problem is that schools are traditionally hierarchical institutions where adults have always been in control, and young people’s voice has never been truly valued. I see schools as zones of control which are designed to dominate young people. My research has demonstrated that collaborating with young people can help develop them as partners in schools as participatory democracies.

And yes, go out and get Bregman’s book you won’t regret it!

McPartlan, D., Burrus, A., Elder, K., Gregory, P., Hillary, M., McCrea, C., Bell, S., Greenup, C., James, C., Liddell, J., Liddell, K., Norwood, E., Rome, A., & Schollick, J. (2021). The Benefits Of Young Researchers In A School YPAR Project. Retrieved from https://www.socialpublishersfoundation.org/knowledge_base/the-benefits-of-young-researchers-in-a-school-ypar-project/

McPartlan, D. (2023). Young researchers in schools: a participative action research study into the efficacy of a whole school mental health strategy. (University of Cumbria.). Retrieved from https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/7274