Caught between two cultures: The everyday civic life of cross-boundary youth

Young people who reside in Mainland China and study in Hong Kong are known as “cross-boundary (CB) youth.” They are Hong Kong citizens, and their well-being and social participation have a direct bearing on the success of civil society. Education is often seen as a social leveller, especially for the socially disadvantaged such as CB youth. School engagement reflects civic engagement. The nature and extent of their engagement with their schools and civic society are important indicators of social inclusion. However, society at large hears little from the voices of CB youth on education and current affairs, and this article is a response to redress this gap. The findings reveal that CB youth develop a kind of a “neither-here-nor-there” citizenship orientation. Their engagement with school and Hong Kong society is characterized by weak-tie relationships and a superficial tourist-type of exposure. Implications for policy makers and educators are discussed.
本文旨在透過探討跨境青年的日常學習及公民生活，提供一個窗口去窺探他們的未來公民參與狀況。研究顯示，跨境上學的生活已導致他們發展出一種「既不是這裡也不是那兒」的公民取向。他們的學校及公民社會參與狀況，帶有網絡關係薄弱和表面化觀光接觸式的特性。本文亦討論這些特質為政策制訂者及教育工作者帶來的影響和啟示。 Copyright © 2012 HKFYG.