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| Young Voices, New Politics: Gen Z on Campus | | | Dr. Vijay Garg
For generations, the college campus has been more than a place for academic learning. It has been a space where young people have debated ideas, questioned authority, organised movements, discussed social issues and developed a sense of citizenship. Many important political and social movements have found their early voices in classrooms, student unions, libraries and campus gatherings.
Today, however, campus politics is changing. A new generation—Gen Z—is entering higher education with different expectations, communication habits and political experiences. They have grown up with smartphones, social media, instant information and a rapidly changing world. Their understanding of politics is therefore not necessarily shaped by traditional student organisations alone. It is increasingly influenced by digital conversations, online campaigns, global events and issues that directly affect their everyday lives.
This raises an important question: Can Gen Z give campus politics a new lease of life?
The answer may be yes, but perhaps not in the traditional form.
From slogans to issues
Earlier generations of student politics were often strongly associated with campus elections, rallies, debates, demonstrations and affiliation with larger political organisations. These activities created opportunities for students to understand leadership, public speaking, negotiation and collective action.
Gen Z may approach politics differently. Many young people are less interested in ideological labels and more interested in specific issues. Climate change, employment, education costs, mental well-being, gender equality, technology, privacy, discrimination, public safety and opportunities for young people can become more immediate political concerns than traditional party identities.
This does not mean that young people are politically indifferent. In many cases, they are deeply concerned about public affairs but prefer issue-based participation over permanent political affiliation.
The campus of the future may therefore see a shift from “Which organisation do you belong to?” to “Which issue are you willing to work for?”
The smartphone as the new political noticeboard
The political noticeboard of the past was physical. Students gathered around posters, pamphlets and wall notices to discover what was happening on campus.
Today, a political conversation can begin with a post, video, message or online discussion and reach thousands of students within minutes.
Social media has dramatically lowered the barriers to political participation. A student who may hesitate to speak before a large gathering can express an opinion online. A campus issue that once remained confined to one institution can quickly attract wider attention.
But this transformation has a darker side.
Speed does not always produce understanding. Social media can encourage emotional reactions, misinformation, polarisation and simplified arguments. Students may encounter political content designed to provoke rather than inform. A short video can generate strong opinions without providing sufficient context.
Therefore, the digital campus needs a new form of political literacy. Students must learn not only how to express an opinion but also how to verify information, listen to opposing views and distinguish evidence from propaganda.
Debate must return to the campus
A healthy campus democracy requires disagreement.
Disagreement should not automatically be treated as hostility. Universities should be among the safest places in society for students to encounter ideas different from their own.
A student should be able to question an established opinion without being ridiculed. Another student should be able to defend that opinion without being silenced. The purpose of debate is not always to produce agreement. Sometimes its greatest value is to teach people how to disagree respectfully.
This is particularly important for Gen Z, which is growing up in an environment of rapid information and increasingly divided public discourse.
Universities should encourage structured debates, student forums, public lectures, mock parliaments, policy discussions and issue-based clubs. Such activities can transform political interest into democratic learning.
Campus politics should not become party politics alone
There is a legitimate place for political awareness on university campuses. Young people should understand how democracy works, how public institutions function and how policies affect society.
However, campus politics becomes unhealthy when educational institutions are treated merely as recruitment grounds for larger political organisations.
Student leadership should be about service as much as power.
A student representative should be judged not simply by the number of supporters they can mobilise but by the problems they can solve. Can they improve the library? Can they raise concerns about transportation, sanitation, accessibility, academic facilities or student welfare? Can they negotiate with administrators responsibly? Can they represent students who disagree with them?
These are also political skills.
The missing art of listening
Modern politics often rewards speaking loudly. Democracy, however, also requires listening.
Gen Z has an opportunity to redefine leadership by making listening a central political skill. A good student leader should not only communicate with supporters but also understand the concerns of students who did not vote for them.
Leadership should mean creating spaces where quieter voices are heard.
Women students, students from rural backgrounds, economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities and those who are not naturally comfortable with public speaking should all have meaningful opportunities to participate in campus life.
A vibrant campus democracy is not one in which the loudest voices dominate. It is one in which different voices can be heard.
Politics beyond elections
Campus politics should not begin and end with student elections.
There are countless ways in which young people can participate in public life without becoming political candidates. Students can organise environmental campaigns, literacy initiatives, blood donation drives, community programmes, debates, voter-awareness activities and research-based public discussions.
Such activities help students understand that democracy is not merely about casting a vote. It is also about responsibility, participation and service.
The university can become a laboratory for citizenship.
Gen Z and the politics of employment
For today’s students, employment is likely to remain one of the most important political concerns.
Young people invest years in education but often face uncertainty about jobs, skills and economic opportunities. They want an education system that connects learning with real-world possibilities.
Campus politics can play a constructive role by bringing employment, entrepreneurship, vocational skills, internships, research opportunities and emerging technologies into public discussion.
Instead of limiting student politics to immediate campus demands, young leaders can ask larger questions:
What kind of jobs will exist in the future?
How should education respond to artificial intelligence?
How can rural youth access new opportunities?
How can universities encourage entrepreneurship?
How can higher education become more inclusive and affordable?
These questions connect campus life with the future of society.
AI, information and the new political generation
Gen Z is also entering political life at a time when artificial intelligence is transforming the information environment.
AI can help students access information, analyse data, understand complex subjects and communicate ideas. At the same time, technology can make it easier to produce misleading content, manipulate public opinion and create convincing but unreliable material.
Future student leaders will therefore need a combination of technological awareness and ethical judgment.
The political leader of tomorrow may need not only the ability to address a crowd but also the ability to understand algorithms, data, digital privacy and artificial intelligence.
Universities have a responsibility
The revival of campus politics cannot be the responsibility of students alone. Educational institutions also have an important role.
Universities should create democratic spaces while maintaining academic standards and campus safety. Student organisations should be allowed to express legitimate views, but intimidation, violence, harassment and disruption of academic life should not be accepted.
There must be room for political disagreement without turning the campus into a battlefield.
Teachers can contribute by encouraging evidence-based discussion rather than imposing political opinions. Administrators can provide transparent mechanisms for student representation and grievance redressal.
A mature campus democracy requires both freedom and responsibility.
From followers to citizens
Perhaps the biggest challenge for Gen Z is to move beyond being consumers of political content and become active citizens.
It is easy to like a post, share a video or comment on an issue. Genuine civic participation requires greater effort. It requires reading, questioning, researching, listening, organising and sometimes working patiently for change.
Democracy cannot survive on online reactions alone.
Young people must learn that citizenship is not a spectator sport.
A new chapter for campus politics
Gen Z may not revive campus politics by simply reproducing the methods of previous generations. Its real contribution may be to redefine what campus politics means.
The new campus politics could be more issue-oriented, digitally connected, inclusive and focused on practical solutions. It could combine traditional democratic practices—debate, elections, representation and public meetings—with new forms of digital participation.
The goal should not be to make every student a politician. The goal should be to make every student a more informed, responsible and confident citizen.
Campus politics should teach young people that democracy is not merely about winning arguments. It is about understanding differences, negotiating disagreements, protecting rights and accepting responsibilities.
Gen Z has the technology to amplify its voice. What it needs now is the wisdom to use that voice constructively.
Young voices can give campus politics a new lease of life—but only if those voices choose dialogue over division, issues over identities, service over power, and participation over passive observation.
Dr Vijay Garg Retired Principal Educational columnist Eminent Mathematician Acadmic Editor of online Magzine WnB street kour Chand MHR Malout Punjab -152107 |
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