Dear Prime Minister, Embed #youthvoice & #participation in democracy with these reforms in 2025

New Year Call to action….Votes at 16 isn’t going to be enough to focus the nation of listening to young people too. We need a wider range of ‘YouthVoice’ reforms to embed the principles of listening, working with and investing in young leadership, by Government and society. That means between elections and for a broader age range. If the framework of  Government/Parliament/Democracy is to meaningfully engage young peoples on their terms, it will need to change how it listens and respond (#YouthListen).  In this blog, James Cathcart updates his manifesto calls for reform for the year ahead in an open letter to the PM and Government.

This manifesto aims to continue the debate on the ‘how’, such as the establishment of a new coordinating Minister (and Min of Youth) with a voice at Cabinet level and the creation of a new Youth Citizenship Commission on democratic engagement and proposing a Youth Citizenship Bill to solidify any subsequent framework for increased participation/informed voting rights for younger voters. Additionally, as part of his long-standing #Campaign4youthrecognition, the introduction of a new category of Honours award for young people that acknowledges their exceptional contribution to public life – a ‘Youth Service Medal’. [Scroll to the end for full list]

A new Age For Democracy:  A Youth Manifesto For Reform

(scroll down for commentary)

 … from silent service to active citizenship 

Agenda for Action by the Government/Parliament 2024-2029.

• 1.  Support the restoration of an independent and secure national Youth Council
• 2. Create a new coordinating Youth Minister of cabinet rank to listen to them and consult young people when coordinating youth policy policy across Government Departments
• 3. Create a new department for Youth Affairs to support this and work across central Government, Local Government and the devolved nations
• 3. Establish joint Youth Select Committee, with youth representatives and MPs, to future proof and scrutinise policy and legislation from a youth perspective
• 4.  Set up a new Youth Citizenship /Democratic Engagement Commission  and follow up Youth Citizenship Bill that introduces:

     a/   equal voting age rights at 16 in all elections and referenda across the UK  

     b/   a new citizenship curriculum to prepare first time young citizens to vote

     c/   auto-enrolment of young voters as a common right of citizenship

     d/   a duty to consult young people on national and local policy that affects them

• 5. Make representations to create a new award in the Honours list for exceptional public service by young people.

A new (younger) age for democracy

By James Cathcart

“A window of opportunity is about to open for the #youthvoice and influence movement, particularly around active participation of young people in our democratic processes. Despite the close of the British Youth Council in March, #youthvoice is still alive and increasingly active across the UK, in organisations, boardrooms and to government – but how well is it heard, acted on and recognised? We need a parallel process of #YoungVoicesHeard, or #YouthListen.

During the last general election campaign a number of coalitions and campaigners were working in partnership with their supporters and the media to mobilise their voice and their vote. The #youthvote turnout is an untapped potential for influence. However, its what comes next that interests me. When the campaigning stops, and manifestos are put back on the shelf, and new Government Ministers get to work on their agenda,  I want to see youth policy across all departments made a higher ongoing priority to reflect the hopes and concerns of young people. Lisa Nandy MP, the Culture Secretary Minister at DCMS with overall responsibility for the Office for Civil Society/Youth Policy announced their intention to co-produce a new National Youth Strategy in November. How will they do this now that we don’t have a national or even interim national youth council to independently coordinate youth voice views direct? I hope they reach out, support and work directly with young leaders to ensure this process is steered by youth people and not adult-led.

“For too long, the nation’s young people have been deprived of a meaningful seat at the table in the decisions that directly impact their lives. That is why this Government is committed to taking a bold, transformative approach to young people – one that walks alongside them and values their experiences and perspectives, rather than assuming we can simply swoop in and fix things for them. Through the co-production of a new National Youth Strategy, we will put young people back in charge of their own destiny, starting with better understanding of their lives and needs. This will allow us to shape policy that not only keeps up with the rapidly evolving challenges of today, but is also effective in ensuring that opportunity for young people is abundant in every postcode.”

Stephanie Peacock MP ‘Youth Minister’ in Lisa’s team said  “The challenges faced by young people across the country are profound, yet this generation remains resilient and hopeful, driven by an ambition to create a future where opportunities are abundant, regardless of circumstances or postcode. To match this ambition, our approach to policymaking must adapt to embrace young voices and listen to their aspirations for a better future. Real change doesn’t happen overnight, and we’re committed to a long-term approach that unites multiple areas of government to work side by side with young people to find solutions together.”

I welcome this long-term approach. Youth voice needs to be a policy not a project, with embedded processes that place equal weight on listening and responding as they do on empowering youthvoice to have a say. That’s why I’m particularly calling for reform of how Government is organised, and how we as a society can value and engage young people more in the democratic process, at all levels, and across the whole of the UK equally. 

Votes at 16 + and Political Education

We are still being told that the Labour Party in Government are committed to “increasing the engagement of young people in our vibrant democracy, by giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections”, but they have yet to put in on the parliamentary agenda or said how they will be consulting, working together or implementing this.  Young people will need to be prepared, as they were in Scotland, with universal education on how democracy works and to give them ‘political literacy’ to navigate information, misinformation and campaign promises, something that will benefit the entire population in the future, leading to, I believe, an increase in voter turnout. Many young people are not sure if they are ready to vote at 16, so Votes at 16 Legislation must include provision for election education. The Votes at 16 campaign has faltered with the closure of the British Youth Council, but its worth remembering that this campaign was driven by an alliance of organisations, (eg NUS and the Electoral Reform Society being the most active, who used to rotate chairing and servicing it. I expect campaigners to rally again 2025 in a new Votes at 16 alliance. I also expect to see new network to emerge that includes those who turn their attention to the “How?” as well and both sharing the goal of Votes and 16 PLUS Political Education, to both ensure voting reform remains on the Governments agenda, and advises them on how to implement it, hopefully starting dialogue in 2025 in time for delivery by the next General Election.

Democratic Dialogue for all – before during and after elections.

However, democratic engagement goes beyond simply being heard through elections; it involves an ongoing dialogue between the people and politicians, supported by a free press and regulated social media. Many young people, including those eligible to vote, still feel that their voices are not being heard as loudly or as equally as those of other lobby groups, campaigners, and stakeholders. I firmly believe that reforms (see below for Call to Action agenda) are necessary to embed mechanisms that allow youth voices to be heard by decision-makers between elections, building on the work of local government youth councils, regional Mayors, devolved nations Youth Assemblies and Parliaments, the UK Youth Parliament and many other initiatives. There is a wealth of youthled and supported expertise and experience as exemplified by a range of initiatives, many currently focused on the general election – voter registration (GiveanX), political literacy and education (ShoutOutUK, Young Citizens, Democracy Classroom)  or school general elections (Our Generation Our Vote, Hansards Mock elections) supported by a network of 20-30 plus civil society and youth organisations.

For decades young people have demonstrated their dedication to public service by serving their communities through volunteering initiatives, whatever the Government in power,  such as VInspired, the National Citizen Service for 16 and 17-year-olds, and in response to campaigns like Step Up To Serve’s #iwill initiative, which promotes voluntary youth-led social action. They have also made significant sacrifices during Covid, the impact of which on education, mental health, and social media habits, has yet to be fully realised. Many are also involved as young campaigners or young elected representatives in their local areas. Despite this their national voice is often marginalised by an old-led (as opposed to youth-led) interests of this in power, or seeking to influence it. 

There are exceptions. Some parts of the media are actively seeking out and listening to youthvoice (Radio5Live Teem Summit and BBCBitesize survey), and independent youth-led initiatives are successfully building partnerships such as Voter registration (My Life My Say, Save the Children and others).

Too young to vote but not too young to have a say

Despite this, according to a UK Youth poll in March 24, only 1 in 10 under 18-year-olds believe that politicians prioritise the needs of young people when making decisions. Young people are indeed citizens too and deserve greater encouragement and peer representation.  While they may be too young to vote, they are not too young volunteer or have a voice. They deserve to be heard, engaged and celebrated when they make a difference.  The decisions made at the highest level that affect them should be informed and influenced by them too, or in the words of campaigners – ‘Nothing about Us without Us’.

Finally – as part of the #Campaign4youthrecognition,  I’d like to propose a new category of Honours reserved for exception public service by young people – the Youth Service Award*. The campaign promotes and encourages more nominations of young people for national recognition awards (Pride of Britain, the PMs Points of Light awards, the Diana Awards, British youth Citizen Awards or the Honours system).

James Cathcart (Founder/Director of Young Voices Heard) 14th June 2024

*The Kings Honours list is usually published at this time of year – subscribe below to read our updated Youth Honours List of new winners.

Follow James Cathcart, youthvoice advocate/campaigner  @YVH_YouthVoice and if you enjoyed this Blog please SUBSCRIBE to receive more blogs from ‘Young Voices Heard’.