Building the Public sphere and Network of Participatory Communication for driving a public consciousness in order to resolve the local youth problems by Children and Youth Council in Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya.

Abstract

This qualitative field research was conducted over a two-year period, and the data was collected through participant observations, in-depth interviews, and analysis of related contexts. The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to analyze contexts concerning the establishment and existence of the Children and Youth Council, 2) to investigate and analyze how a public sphere for participatory communication is built, through Children and Youth Council, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya, for public consciousness enhancement to solve problems of young people in a community, and 3) to examine and analyze networking of participatory communication is developed, through Children and Youth Council, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya, for public consciousness enhancement to solve problems of young people in a community.

According to the findings of the first part of this study, the problems of young people in Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya included 1) their lack of public consciousness distinguishing what they should and should not do, which is due to their own contexts and lack of condition building, and 2) insufficient family, economic, and social opportunities and environments, which does not allow children development due to their primary concern of living, incomplete family, and lack of the four requisite necessities. The findings also indicated community contexts deemed to be strengths of promoting the establishment and existence of the Children and Youth Council. These contexts involved geography for the collection of resources, history for the pride in heritage historical city of Ayutthaya, culture for the unique traditions, education for the curriculum encouraging public consciousness, religion for a great number of temples to elevate the mind, economy for economic costs and local products, family for a sense of patriotism and of community involvement, politics, as well as communication for a variety of media use. Despite the strengths, some were regarded, simultaneously, as limitations, especially family in which some live in a nuclear family and feel isolated, politics for the fact that people have varied levels of public consciousness, and communication in which children and young people have various media literacy.

In the second part of this study, it was found that Children and Youth Council, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya, does not agree with Jürgen Habermas’s notion of the public sphere. However, it can be a public sphere which helps enhance public consciousness as a condition for driving such enhancement and solving problems of children and young people in Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya. This could be achieved through the design of media which are appropriate for the contexts of a public sphere in the form of Children and Youth Council, with an emphasis on participatory communication. Children and Youth Council was also regarded as a public sphere which is supported by the government but applies communication strategies for promoting it and developing a sense of patriotism. Moreover, public consciousness of children and young people could be considered as seeds awaiting the growth. This might be impossible if there is a lack of watering, tillage, and fertilization. Children and Youth Council is thus a space for incubating, building growth condition, and encouraging children and young people to think and act through projects and activities designed to develop their working skills, public consciousness, and hands-on practice.

In the third part of this study, Children and Youth Council, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya, is governed by the government, led by children and youth, and supported by caring adults. The Council is a network with procedures for developing knowledge of communication by utilizing integrated communication strategies as a major tool. Communication knowledge has been constructed in a well-structured manner. The networks of each level features both similarities and differences. Networking with the driving of public consciousness has adopted multimedia. The relationship within a network has been established with children becoming the leaders. There is a sibling relationship among these children. The relationship between children and adults, however, varies based on an individual basis. Not all adults can work with children. As for the relationship with the Children and Youth Council of Thailand, it has been formed based on the responsibilities. When it comes to the driving of public consciousness, the focus is on self-development, resulting in change to the society. Eventually, the network of Children and Youth Council has set up procedures for maintaining and expanding for its sustainability through ongoing activities for forging strong relationships, determining a mechanism for increasing motivation, allocating sufficient resources, supporting each other, and continually developing leaders.