The central argument of this paper is that political disengagement or apathy cannot be construed as young people’s “problems”. They are in fact problems resulting from schooling of young people in institutions where technical skills are given priority over real-life issues. The resulting lack of participation and informal learning opportunities in young people’s lives weakens public institutions and renders them unsustainable. It is argued that learning and participation are key processes for political inclusion and integration of young people in Turkey, across Europe and elsewhere. A model ofsustainable civic engagement (Public Achievement) is presented. Public Achievement has been successful in Turkey, the US, N. Ireland, Palestine, Eastern and Central Europe, and the Balkans. Please click here to read the text in full.