#makeyourmark #youthvoice make your mark Archives

Feb182020 by James CathcartNo Comments

Youth Participation Quality Mark: Project 2020

Having a 'Youth Participation Quality Mark' is one way to indicate that #youthvoice is being heard AND making a difference to an organisation. Having certification, or an award, will indicate the degree to which youth-participation is: a) 'taking place' b) 'meaningful' and c) 'fit for purpose', be it consultation, co-design, or participation in scrutiny and decision-making. "Register your interest in this project or feedback to info@youngvoicesheard.org.uk with your name/role/org recommending good practice examples and sharing a #youthvoice view for what quality looks like - go to our QM Project page for latest news and draft resources". Young Voices Heard is launching a Quality Assurance project that it hopes will lead to a new set of national standards for engagement, participation, and impact. Working with a network of independent young advisors,…

Feb12020 by James CathcartNo Comments

Votes at 16: Parked, paused, what next?

Democracy, Young Voices Heard

Votes at 16: 2020, What next for this long-running campaign? ‘Votes at 16’ no longer commands the support of a majority of MPs in the new Parliament. Yes - Wales has joined Scotland in lowering the local voting age locally, but are General Election campaigners facing five years 'parked' in Parliament? Are young people in this age group now prioritising action on climate change, mental health and knife-crime over the right to vote? After all, Greta Thunberg has shown that even if you are too young to vote you are not too young to be heard by those that do. Stakeholders, supporters and funders are focusing on investment in social action campaigning and renewed youth services all year round, rather than empowerment through voting tomorrow. Invited by the Leverhulme Trust…

Aug142018 by James CathcartNo Comments

UK Youth Parliament’s ‘Make Your Mark’ ballot TOP 10 campaigns 2018, reviewed

Democracy, News and Blogs, Young Voices Heard

The UK Youth Parliament #MAKEYOURMARK ballot is published (header photo), and the polls are open. Anyone aged 11-18 in the UK can now vote for their priority campaign until 10th October through their local school/youth council/online. In recent years young volunteers have mobilised nearly a million of their peers to vote across the U.K. making it the largest consultation of young people in the country if not Europe. The annual debate of the five of these campaigns by the Youth Parliament in the House of Commons, was one of the highlights of my year when I was at The British Youth Council, but its the results of the popular vote that is a fascinating, sometimes surprising and even ahead of the curve the Westminster bubble. It's what matters to next…