Civic Mobility: Implications for Equity, Engagement, and Democracy

 Guest Speaker:

Dr. Jodi Benenson, is the 2023-2024 Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Governance and Public Administration at the Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where her primary research and teaching interests include civic engagement, nonprofit organizations, social policy, and social equity. Previously, she served as a Postdoctoral Scholar at Tufts University and as the Academic Director for the U.S. Department of State's YSEALI Institute on Civic Engagement. Her research has been published in a variety of academic and practice-based outlets, and she is engaged with several local, national, and international organizations that center civic engagement, equity, and representation.

Moderator: 

Eric Champagne, is Associate Professor in Public Administration at the School of Political Studies and Director of the Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa. 

Description:

This lecture will explore the theme of civic mobility, which describes the ways young people navigate civic life over time within their communities, organizations, and institutions. Like social and economic mobility, civic mobility is defined as the upward or downward movement of people or groups within a civic ecosystem. Indeed, different civic “strata” or “classes” exist based on where young people reside within an ecosystem of civic equality.

Drawing on interdisciplinary research in public administration, civic engagement, and youth development, the lecture will begin with an overview of the dimensions of civic mobility and its implications for researchers, organizational leaders, and policymakers. The lecture will also include a discussion of youth participatory action research as an orientation for knowledge creation when studying civic mobility. To close, the presenter will share preliminary findings from a youth-centered study on civic mobility and invite attendees to discuss the ways civic mobility as a framework invites us to move toward a more socially just and equitable civic infrastructure.