Talking politics and democracy with young people is incredibly important, albeit challenging. Ensuring impartiality is essential, as is delivering activities that capture young people's attention and encourage them to engage with democracy.
Member organisation No5's recent work in this area is a brilliant example of what is possible. Concerned about voter registration figures and potential barriers to engagement, practitioners worked with young people at their service to create a social action campaign on voting in local elections.
We knew the local elections were coming up and that young people under the age of 25 are the least likely age group to be registered to vote. This was also the first election since the new voter ID requirements had been introduced which could potentially be an additional obstacle to voting for many young people who may not have valid IDs.
As a young person’s mental health service, we also know that social action and creating spaces for young people’s voices to be heard can improve mental health and wellbeing and social and personal development. So we thought this was a great opportunity to organise a social action project on voting in elections.
No5 ran sessions with young people exploring their feelings about voting, democracy and the new ID requirement. In turn, these open conversations helped to shape the direction of their youth-led voter registration campaign. You can read more about how they got started, gained funding and their tips for fellow services in our No5 Campaign Case Study.
Want to run your own youth-led voter registration campaign?
We're thrilled to offer members the opportunity to join a youth practitioner training session in collaboration with The Politics Project.
To help practitioners feel equipped to lead and facilitate conversations about democracy with young people we're joining forces with The Politics Project to offer an insightful session Exploring Elections.
The session will explore ways to engage young people in all things democracy and will cover:
- Impartiality in navigating conversations on voting and General Elections
- Engaging with young people about their right to vote and the practicalities
- Activity ideas to encourage young people to explore their values and have their voices heard
The training will be held online on February 27th from 12:00 to 13:30. We recommend the training for any staff members likely to explore topics surrounding politics and democracy with young people.
Take a look at our Exploring Elections event for more information.
