Civic virtues ideas among young social activists in St. Petersburg

The article presents an analysis of ideas about citizenship among young social activists of St. Petersburg. The authors analyse this issue using the case of young leaders of socially oriented initiatives of St. Petersburg. The empirical base of the study was 19 in-depth interviews with the creators of social projects. The key meaning of civic participation by young activists is the production of public goods, which they articulate in the categories of “inclusion”, “safe social environment”, “creation of community”, “educational activities”. Young people try to set their own vector of understanding social problems and ways to solve them. The narratives of informants show that young people perceive their participation in the field of citizenship not only as a personal gain, but also as an opportunity to promote egalitarian and humanistic values. This is reflected in three key meanings of citizenship – “Creating opportunities for self-development”, “Creating a field for self-realization”, “Creating a significant contribution to social development”. Young people are actively developing their own projects, while paying attention to issues that usually escape the dominant social discourse.