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.