ABSTRACT
The Slovak Republic is a relatively young state (established in 1993), with a rather short experience of democracy (1918-1939 & 1989-present). The current Slovak educational system attempts to convey to the youth the principles of democracy and active citizenship through various formal and non-formal educational activities. These attempts, however, bring about rather unconvincing and sometimes discomforting outcomes. The results presented in this chapter have shown that the individual activity of adolescent participants aimed at personal gain and self-development is the most preferred form of active civic participation. Political activity, along with activities focused on social change, are among the least interesting for these young people. One observed tendency within civic participation is that it is based more on individuality than group cooperation. The present research also confirmed a significant relationship between the level of civic activity and the independent variables of sex, age, residence and family relations. The present research clearly demonstrates that the Slovak Republic can build on a high level of passive citizenship among young people but should also focus on preventing the escalation of some forms of passive citizenship of young people into supporting extremist and undemocratic movements. Also, Slovak society should focus on ways to promote better active political participation of young people based on group collaboration and their involvement in voluntary activities in social movements and organizations, especially in large towns.
