Globalisation processes have transformed traditional ways of understanding citizenship which are no longer limited to local or national contexts, rather they have given way to something more global since we live in highly interconnected and interdependent societies, as the current pandemic situation has made evident (Bourn, 2021). The global citizenship education approach is essential for young people to understand the world in which they live and be able to play an active and productive role in it (Wegimont, 2020; Boni, Belda-Miguel y Calabuign, 2020). One of the most important agents in the development of this educational approach, both in formal and non-formal settings, are NGOs which carry out a wide range of actions and campaigns to raise awareness and educate for global citizenship, in countries in both the global North and South (Tarozzi, 2020).

On the other hand, traditional democratic states have undergone multiple transformations, many of them facilitated by the rapid emergence and expansion of information and communication technologies (Roque, Dasgupta & Costanza-Chock, 2016). Some of these changes have enabled young people with the right skills and socio-economic conditions to become engaged in civic and political processes that combine local and global dimensions (Christensen, Biseth, & Huang, 2021).

Encouraging the civic and political engagement of young people for the improvement of societies has been a concern that has been expressed through various initiatives developed by formal and non-formal institutions in democratic countries over recent decades (Flanagan, 2009), an essential tool encouraging the social participation of young people in their communities, improving democratic systems and intervening on a global scale (UNESCO, 2015). Research suggests that the development of information and communication technologies has opened up previously non-existent possibilities for the development of civic engagement, something that young people have taken advantage of, not least because of the intensity with which they use these tools (Ohlin, Heller, Byrne, & Keevy, 2010). Rather than relying on the inherent mobilising potential of technologies, it is important to ask whether the institutions and social agents involved are providing spaces that allow young people to participate and develop a sustainable civic engagement with the problems of a globalised and unequal world: environmental crisis, racism, inequality, migration, etc.

This communication analyses the virtual scenarios of NGOs in Cantabria (in the North of Spain) aimed at developing active global citizenship. The objective is to understand if the conception of these virtual environments offers spaces that encourage young people to develop different levels of civic engagement on the topics addressed by the organisations themselves, dealing with global issues, connecting local and global contexts (Witteborn, 2010).

The research questions guiding this work are the following:

What are the formal characteristics of the main website designs of NGOs in the Community of Cantabria?

Does the design of these websites promote the development of experiences focused on social justice in which young people are encouraged to be directly involved?

To what extent do the websites of the NGOs present in this community offer spaces specifically aimed at communicating with and fostering the commitment of young people?  

What kinds of actions are offered to young people?

This communication is part of a broader research project aimed at investigating how young people aged 12 to 16 years old are constructing citizenship in the new virtual scenarios that have emerged with the use of technologies (R+D+i project entitled Researching new socio-educational scenarios for the construction of global citizenship in the 21st century. Reference PID2020-114478RB-C21 financed by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033).

The objective of this research is to understand whether the design of websites offers spaces that encourage young people to develop different levels of civic and political engagement in relation to the issues addressed by diverse organisations. This is a qualitative study aimed at analysing the content, format and interaction possibilities offered by various websites of NGOs active in the autonomous community of Cantabria, which are members of the Cantabrian NGO Coordinator. The NGO Coordinator is the body in charge of coordinating those third sector entities that develop diverse actions in the community of Cantabria (awareness-raising, information, political advocacy or research). Some of the entities are present in other regions, while others only carry out their work at a local level. Out of all the organisations linked to the Coordinator, only those that have a website have been selected, regardless of their religious or political orientation. Although the Coordinator’s directory offered a list of 31 websites, the analysis focused exclusively on 27 (n=27) given that 4 NGOs did not have a website at the time this research was carried out. An observation grid was created based on other previous works for the purpose of analysing the civic and political uses of the websites (Della Porta & Mosca, 2009; Banaji & Buckingham, 2010). More specifically, this study has focused on the analysis of several dimensions that allow the research questions to be answered: General characteristics of the websites (design, address mode, level of updating of information or structure, among others); Transparency (analysis of whether the NGOs include information about their process for managing the resources they mobilise); Bilateral interactivity with young people (willingness to offer direct channels of communication with this group); Spaces for mobilisation (analysis of the type of engagement actions both inside and outside the network: demonstrations, protests, signing petitions, etc.); Dimensions addressed (environment, gender, culture of peace, etc.).

Technologies can play a crucial role in promoting the involvement of different groups in local and global issues, encouraging civic engagement and facilitating participation (Ohlin, Heller, Byrne & Keevy, 2010; Chen, 2016). This potential depends on the type of uses that social movements, formal institutions or NGOs make of these tools (Della Porta & Mosca, 2009). The analysis of the design of the websites of NGOs operating in Cantabria shows that, for the most part, they are not designed to encourage bilateral interaction with organisations. In other words, they do not offer direct channels of communication in which young people are specifically invited to participate in activities developed by these organisations, thus encouraging their civic engagement. The structure of websites are designed to provide information about the activities carried out by the organisations locally, or in other contexts. Most of the organisations have spaces designed to account for the activities they develop, offering information on the funds received and actions carried out, something that has been facilitated by internet (Gálvez Rodríguez, Caba Pérez & López Godoy, 2012). With regard to the spaces for mobilisation offered to young people, the websites identified a predominance of actions aimed at awareness-raising, volunteering and fundraising. Hardly any other engagement spaces have been identified where young people are encouraged to mobilise or protest. The analysis has also identified that some of the dimensions most addressed are related to the development of a culture of peace, the democratisation of education and the development of cooperation projects outside the region. This work highlights the need to rethink ways of encouraging civic engagement among young people, focusing attention on the possibilities offered by the familiarity with which this group handles new media and technologies (Jansen, 2011) and the new forms of civic participation fostered by technologies (Zyad, 2021).

Banaji, S., & Buckingham, D. (2010). Young people, the Internet, and civic participation: An overview of key findings from the CivicWeb project. International Journal of Learning and Media, 2(1), 15-24. Boni, A., Belda-Miguel, S., & Calabuig, C. (2020). Educación para la ciudadanía global crítica. Síntesis: Madrid. Bourn, D. (2021). Pedagogy of hope: global learning and the future of education. International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, 13(2), 65-78. Chen, J. (2017). Can online social networks foster young adults’ civic engagement? Telematics and Informatics, 34 (5): 487-497. Christensen, I. R., Biseth, H., & Huang, L. (2021). Developing Digital Citizenship and Civic Engagement Through Social Media Use. In Biseth, H., Hosking, B., & Huang, L. (Eds). Nordic Schools. Northern Lights on Civic and Citizenship Education, (pp. 65-92). Springer. Della Porta, D. & Mosca, L. (2009). Searching the Net. Information, Communication & Society, 12 (6), 771-792, DOI: 10.1080/13691180802109063 Flanagan, C. (2009). Young people’s civic engagement and political development. In A. Furlong, (ed.) International Handbook of youth and young adulthood (pp. 309-316). Routledge. London. Gálvez Rodríguez, M. M., Caba Pérez, M. & López Godoy, M. (2012). Determining Factors in Online Transparency of NGOs: A Spanish Case Study. Voluntas, 23, 661–683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-011-9229-x Jansen, B. A. (2011). Civic education and the learning behaviors of youth in the online environment: A call for reform. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 2(2): 21-42. Ohlin, J., Heller, A., Byrne, S., & Keevy, N. (2010). How young people participate in civic activities using Internet and mobile technologies. URL: https://docs. education. gov. au/system/files/doc/other/how_young_people_participate_in _civic_activities_using_internet_and_mobile_technologies. pdf. Roque, R., Dasgupta, S., & Costanza-Chock, S. (2016). Children’s civic engagement in the scratch online community. Social Sciences, 5(4): 1-17. Tarozzi, M. (2020). Role of NGOs in global citizenship education. In D. Bourn (Ed.). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Global Education and Learning (pp. 133-148). Bloomsbury Academic. London. UNESCO (2015). Global citizenship education: topics and learning objectives. Paris, UNESCO. Wegimont, L. (2020). Global Education in Europe: From Genesis to Theory and a New Model for Critical Transformation. In D. Bourn (Ed.). The Bloomsbury Handbook of Global Education and Learning (pp. 23-39). Bloomsbury Academic. London. Witteborn, S. (2010). The role of transnational NGOs in promoting global citizenship and globalizing communication practices. Language and Intercultural Communication, 10(4), 358-372. Zyad, H. (2021). An exploration of the effects of social media on youth online and offline sociopolitical engagement. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 00(0),1–14.