Political Activism Surges Among Youth in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – Carina Silvina Gómez, 20, paces back and forth on a corner in Buenos Aires, the capital, handing out white leaflets with black lettering from a plastic bag.

Some people take the paper and quickly glance at it or throw it on the ground. Others reject it with a slight nod. Those who are in a rush ignore her and continue down the sidewalk, cross the street, or take the bus that stops nearby.

But they do not deflate Gómez, a thin woman of medium height with long, chestnut hair. Instead, she smiles and energetically promotes the activities of the political group to which she belongs.

Her white T-shirt signifies her group, “Juventud Peronista,” or “Peronist Youth.” Supporting the national government, the group is the Peronist party's youth wing. Young supporters of former President Juan Domingo Perón founded the group to champion his ideals after a 1955 coup removed him from office.

“I am a political activist,” Gómez says proudly.

Young Argentines, such as Gómez, have been increasing their participation in politics in recent years, with a growing presence of youth organizations in public demonstrations and marches in the nation’s capital. Those in favor of the national government attribute their activism to the administration’s strategic policies, while those in opposition cite their generation’s lifelong exposure to democracy. But party affiliation aside, they share a strong commitment to their activism and belief in politics as a tool to improve their country.

Various dictatorial regimes have marked Argentina’s history, the most recent from 1976 to 1983. The military dictatorship forbade political activism, and there were no elections or freedom of speech or assembly. The regime also systematically disappeared some 30,000 people suspected of carrying out opposition activities, according to human rights groups.

Democracy returned following the dictatorship. As of September 2012, 516 political parties were registered in the country, according to the Cámara Nacional Electoral, the federal electoral body. Youth groups operate within these political parties.

The political parties mainly fall under three opposing movements: groups in favor of the national government, groups in favor of the city government, and groups on the left that oppose both governments.

The presence of youth organizations in public demonstrations and marches in Buenos Aires show the increasing participation of young people in politics here.

Youth groups in favor of the national government joined the demonstration on March 24 at Plaza de Mayo in downtown Buenos Aires to mark the anniversary of the 1976 coup. The annual march rejects the historic event that began the last dictatorship and remembers the disappeared.

At the other end of the spectrum, opposition youth groups have been participating in major demonstrations in recent years against the current national government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The most recent “cacerolazo” – named after the pots and pans that protesters bang as a symbol of everyday life – drew hundreds of thousands of participants in November.

Juan Luna, 60, says he has lived through the country’s different political stages. For him, these demonstrations and protests show how youths have become more active in political advocacy. Active student governments in high schools are another sign.

“There was a time in which young people seemed indifferent to participating,” Luna says. “But now, you see more young people in the streets and in the schools trying to express their ideas.”

Juan Antonio Barresi, a retired social sciences expert, says that political activism among youth began to surface after Argentina’s 2001 economic crisis. The 2010 death of President Nestor Kirchner, the late husband of Argentina’s current president, consolidated this increase, mobilizing youth to participate in political events. Kirchner had taken action against members of the former dictatorship and had implemented various social programs during his presidency.

Federico Putaro, a 22-year-old who works with Juventud Peronista Descamisados, a group affiliated with the national government, says the current administration has stimulated this participation among young people.

“This has to do with the current government encouraging young people to participate,” he says. “The old leaders allow participation, and they teach those who are younger.”

The government has created specific projects, which encouraged young people to abandon their previous skepticism of politics, Putaro says.

“For many years in Argentina, it was difficult to identify strategic political projects, and that generated skepticism in the youth,” he says. “This government consolidated old proposals and achieved many social conquests.”

One success has been the Asignación Universal por Hijo, a credit launched in 2009 for parents who are unemployed, work in the informal sector, or do not earn the minimum wage, Barresi says. To obtain it, they must send their children to school and take them to the doctor for health checkups and vaccinations.

Barresi and Putaro also recognize the absence of repression in creating a favorable climate for political participation among young people.

“A positive characteristic of this period is that there is no repression,” Barresi says. “This is fundamental for free political participation, and it is also good for partisan diversity.”

Young people opposed to the national government cite this as the main reason for their surge in political participation.

Sergio Hernán Siciliano, 28, co-founded Generación Argentina Política, a political youth group in favor of the city government and opposed to the national government, last year. He says that his generation is more active because it was born and raised in democracy, unlike previous generations that had endured military dictatorships.

“We are active because we are children of democracy,” he says. “We were born in democracy, and thanks to this, we are encouraged to speak, to participate.”

The current generation should thank those brave enough to touch politics during the last military dictatorship for its ability to openly participate in politics today, Siciliano says.

“We owe it to those who came before us and had the courage to do it,” he says, “and to the 30,000 missing people.”

Regardless of the political alignment of these young people, they all emphasize the strong commitment they feel about their membership to these groups and the importance of fighting for their ideals.

Gómez says she first became involved in politics in high school through student government.

“There I learned that it is important to participate and to fight for my ideas,” she says.

Siciliano also became involved in politics during high school when he became aware of the country's social problems, which became more visible during the economic crisis. He participated in student government and then in various political groups until he co-founded Generación Argentina Política.

While speaking, Siciliano presses a little black book against his chest.

“This is the book of agreements we signed when we entered the Generación,” he says. “This book signifies the commitment we made.”

Siciliano says participation is the key to changing society.

“If I am not satisfied, it is not useful if I just complain,” he says. “I have to get involved. Political changes occur from political practice.”

For this reason, it is important to multiply the number of young people like him involved in politics, he says.

“We need to train young people to awaken their partisan vocation,” he says. "And this is transformed into a return to society in the creation of projects that improve our country and the quality of life of our citizens."

Barresi says that young people should use politics as a tool for change and highlights the importance of making the public aware of its potential to drive growth.

“Awareness motivates change and generates growth in society,” he says. “If not, the innocence of the people can be transformed into vulnerability before the speech of others.”

Barresi says it is crucial to empower young people and encourage them to form their own opinions so they can provide constructive criticism, plurality and development.

Gomez lifts a pamphlet off the floor that a man took from her and then tossed on the ground. Putaro repeats over and over that he seeks to create a better country. Siciliano closes the book with the signatures of his colleagues and returns it to its refuge on his chest.

“We must try to build together,” Siciliano says. “Together we can improve society.”