Civic Activity of the Youth: Variants of Conceptualizing the Notion

Recently Russia has seen a growing civic activity and realization of values in various social-demographic groups, especially — among the youth. Civic activity and the corresponding values are usually considered in the context of political involvement, taking into account the social capital, and in view of participation in non-government public movements. But this approach is too narrow, as civic activity is related not only to politics and socially significant actions, but is also part and parcel of the people's everyday life. On the basis of secondary analysis of the empirical data (received, primarily, in in-depth interviews) and the results of the focus-groups realized by the author, we can conclude that civic activity, besides its objective outer component, by all means includes the inner aim at active transformation of self and the social world around.

civic activity, civic values, the youth, the phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews, focus-groups