What does it mean to practice citizenship and engage in
democracy? These questions are di cult to answer for
anyone, but they become even more complex when asked
of those who have been pushed outside of conventional
opportunity structures. How can you effectively engage in
the public sphere when you are a young person struggling
to survive, often through criminalized activities like selling
drugs, panhandling and sex work? How do you raise your
issues in a milieu where your voice is considered illegitimate
or uninformed? How do you participate in a political process
that has consistently marginalized you and your family?
Through exploring these questions, and more, with homeless
and street-involved youth in Ottawa over a period of eight
months, we developed three short films responding to three
of the issues they identified as most important: police-youth
relations, decriminalizing marijuana, and transitioning out of
homelessness. In this presentation, we will show the films,
trace the process of developing them, and reflect on larger
issues related to civic engagement of young people who
are symbolically and literally located outside of conventional
political and civic processes.