How to engage young people in politics

People A group of teenagers
ViewsApril 28th, 2014

It is a well know fact that young people are disengaged from politics. Unless you are from a political family or are encouraged to have an insight into the political world, as a teenager, you have many pressures that don’t include losing sleep over who runs the country or who leads your local council.  So how do young people learn about the different political structures in Wales?  Without sounding patronising, how many children and young people know that Westminster and the Welsh Government set policy, whilst local councils deliver services?

Quite frankly, how many even care?

But decisions that affect children and young people are passing them by until a decision directly affects them and groups of young people are encouraged to take an interest, campaign or actively oppose policy decisions and even when groups of young people mobilise, they can be encouraged by adults who have a vested interest.

Take the proposed cuts to the youth service in Cardiff for example. Led by Cardiff Youth Council, young people mounted a successful campaign to reduce the proposed cuts to the youth service.

But how many of those that were vocal truly engaged with the silent majority who actively accessed the service?

We need children and young people to be engaged in politics so that they develop an understanding of the political and decision making structures. They need to understand how services that they access are funded, delivered and reviewed so that children and young people are able to influence policy setting, service delivery and service evaluation. If children and young people are faced with a proposed change to a service they access, unless they have some kind of understanding of how that is service is funded, how can they mount a credible and successful campaign? 

Politics is suffering with a credibility issue following the resignation of Conservative cabinet minister, Maria Miller.  Throw into the mix the allegations of Westminster drunkenness following the  prosecution and acquittal of former deputy speaker, Nigel Evans.

You have to ask yourself why would any young person want to take an interest in something that seems so hard to reach, influence or achieve?

Politics, from Westminster to the Welsh Government and local councils, needs a complete re brand and re launch if we are not to lose a whole generation of young people who should be politically motivated to campaign on behalf of their peers and communities, at risk of losing services in the face of Government austerity measures.  I have presented to sixth formers about poverty and the role of the local authority and whilst there are usually one or two students who have a keen interest and ask questions or make comments, most students look at me blankly with absolutely no idea about the information I am sharing.Whilst the majority would say poverty should not happen anywhere in the UK in the modern day, the majority would also not understand how the Government, Welsh Government and council policy could affect change, mitigate impact or attempt to re-balance social inequality within their communities. 

 The lack of interest in politics by many young people also leads me to question whether political leaders lack credibility, personality and the skill to be able to naturally engage with young people. We all remember the iconic photograph of PM David Cameron with a teenager in the background, pretending to hold a gun. Whilst this photograph made people up and down the country chuckle, the image showed a significant lack of respect for someone who held political and decision making power and a leader who was unable to successfully engage with a young person.   

It could also be said that children and young people and many adults are unable to tell the differences between the major political parties.  

There is widespread criticism that political parties seem to lack the courage and confidence to robustly challenge opposition party policy decisions.  Take the bedroom tax, for example. Whilst Ed Miliband has committed to repeal the policy, it almost seems like a decision that was made once the initial furore had died down.  It begs the question why the Labour Party didn’t take political advantage on 1st April 2013 and make a strong, principled and symbolic statement against the Bedroom Tax, committing to repeal if it regained power in 2015. It’s almost as if young people need to feel the passion of political leaders proudly setting the footprint for how they see our society developing. I know that many apathetic adults would like to see passionate politicians communicating their vision based on their values and principles. Such an approach would have inclusion and equal opportunities at it’s heart and would let children and young people know that people’s and communities needs are diverse but important to political leaders.

I am unconvinced that politics needs to find a place on the National Curriculum.  I fear that if this was the case, it would feed into the memory testing that children and young people already currently experience and politics is about values, principles and the desire to represent the electorate.  So I think it is time for elected politicians throughout the UK to make the effort to engage with children and young people, not just at organised events where you have your photo taken, but at schools and youth clubs.  Talk to young people and ask them what they like and dislike about their local area, school and community.  Maybe even take part in a Q and A at a youth club in partnership with senior police officers, health officers and council officers.  

If politicians and political leaders can engage young people and show them that politics is achievable, rewarding and important, we will ultimately achieve more reflective elected representatives.  Then political parties will have to sort out the selection processes.  But that’s a story for another day. 

 
Siobhan Corria is a Councillor for Cardiff Council and former chair of the children and young people scrutiny committee and children’s services.   

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