Dear EPSA team, I am pleased to invite you to submit a paper for the upcoming workshop, titled “*Depoliticisation, Distrust, and the Conservative Youth Turn: Rethinking Democratic Citizenship*”, which will be held as part of the ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops 2026, from 7–10 April at the University of Innsbruck. *Why contribute?*As contemporary politics becomes increasingly technocratic, apolitical or anti‑political, young people’s roles as active citizens are being reconfigured. At the same time, we are witnessing a puzzling conservative or radical‑right turn among younger generations in Europe and beyond. Our goal is to bring together scholars from comparative politics, youth studies, democratic theory, political communication and other related fields to explore how trends of depoliticisation, institutional distrust and conservative mobilisation shape youth citizenship in new ways. *Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):* 1: Bridging depoliticisation, unpolitics, antipolitics, and youth citizenship concepts. 2: Intergenerational differences in depoliticisation and their impact on democratic participation. 3: How depoliticisation shapes youth civic attitudes and participation. 4: Consequences of the conservative youth turn for representation, legitimacy, and democracy’s future. 5: Youth movements, influencers, and digital platforms as drivers of citizenship and mobilisation. 6: Case studies on the conservative youth turn and its impact on democratic education. 7: Key policy areas for youth (education, gender, climate, security) as contested spaces. 8: The role of schools and civic education amid depoliticisation and distrust. *Submission details* Please submit an extended abstract (max. 500 words) by 10.12.2025 via ECPR webpage <https://ecpr.eu/MyEcpr/Forms/PaperProposalForm.aspx?EventID=342>. Selected contributors will be notified by January, and full papers will be requested ahead of the workshop. *Contact & queries* For more information, please visit the workshop page: ECPR Workshop on Depoliticisation & Youth Turn. <https://ecpr.eu/Events/Event/WorkshopDetails/16798> If you have questions, feel free to contact the workshop directors: Prof. Robert Sata (CEU) satar@ceu.edu Prof. Marta Żerkowska‑Balas (USWPS) mzerkowska-balas@swps.edu.pl We look forward to receiving your paper proposals. Best regards, Marta Żerkowska-Balas -- dr hab. Marta Żerkowska-Balas, prof. Uniwersytetu SWPS email: mzerkowska-balas@swps.edu.pl _____________________________ Uniwersytet SWPS* ul. Chodakowska 19/31 03-815 Warszawa www.swps.pl SWPS Uniwersytet Humanistycznospołeczny wpisany jest do rejestru uczelni niepublicznych i związków uczelni niepublicznych prowadzonego przez MNiSW pod nr 95. Dotychczasowa nazwa uczelni – Szkoła Wyższa Psychologii Społecznej – uległa zmianie 1 czerwca 2015 r. wraz z uzyskaniem przez uczelnię statusu uniwersytetu. Uniwersytet SWPS posiada kampusy w 5 miastach: Warszawie, Poznaniu, Wrocławiu, Katowicach i Sopocie. NIP: 118-01-97-245, REGON: 011947981