Youth in political parties: a pledge for the future or full members? Qualitative survey of young members of political parties in the Međimurje County

Ovaj rad nastoji definirati temeljne postulate demokracije, kao i osnovne oblike političke participacije. Također, nastoji se procijeniti razina demokracije u Republici Hrvatskoj uz naglašenu problematiku slabe uključenosti mladih u bilo kakvom obliku angažmana. Definiranje navedenih pojmova temelj je istraživanja koje se bavi utvrđivanjem temeljnih motiva koji su potaknuli mlade na aktivni oblik političkog angažmana. Također, nastoji se spoznati neposredno iskustvo mladih u strankama, kao i razina uključenosti unutar stranaka. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku 8 mladih članova političkih stranaka koji obitavaju na području Međimurske županije. Odabrana je metoda polustrukturiranog intervjua u svrhu kvalitetnije spoznaje o narativima mladih političkih subjekata. Rezultati pokazuju pozitivna iskustva mladih u svojim strankama, altruističke motive te naslijeđene stavove kao razloge pridruživanja strankama. Prepoznat je paternalistički odnos starijih članova pretežito u svim slučajevima, a na primjeru angažiranosti u nedavnim izborima, vidljivo je postojanje takozvanih članova samo na papiru. Iako angažman uvelike ovisi o individualnim ambicijama, zaključak je da su mladi u strankama zalog za budućnost, bez ikakvih ovlasti i ingerencija.This paper attempts to define the fundamental postulates of democracy as well as the basic forms of political participation. Also, efforts are being made to assess the level of democracy in the Republic of Croatia, with an emphasis on the poor involvement of young people in any form of engagement.. Defining the concepts listed prevously is the foundation of research that deals with identifying the fundamental motives that have encouraged young people to be involved in active form of political engagement. It also seeks to understand the immediate experience of young people in the parties as well as the level of involvement within the parties. The study was conducted on a sample of 8 young members of political parties residing in the Međimurje County. The selected method is a semi-structured interview for the purpose of better understanding the narratives of young political subjects. The results show the positive experiences of young people in their parties as well as altruistic motives and inherited attitudes as reasons for joining the party. The paternalistic attitude of senior members was recognised mainly in all cases, and in the case of participation in the recent elections, it was recognised the existence of so-called members only on paper. Although engagement largely depends on individual ambitions, the conclusion is that young people in parties pledge for the future, without any power and competence