Photograph: Catherine Bebbington courtesy of UK Parliament
Written by Maddie Otter
At the age of 12 I joined ‘The Wicked Planners’, a small group of young people residing in the north east region of England and from a range of backgrounds and communities, but sharing a passion for making positive change for young people. Our aim was quite simple: to get the voices of young people heard and to be able to not only have a say, but to be listened to when it came to the things that were important to us. Now, after six years of being involved in various groups aimed at ‘getting young people’s voices heard’ I wanted to take time to reflect on whether or not this objective could and had been achieved.
Participation was a ‘buzz word’ in politics in the previous government and was seen nationally as a celebrated concept, especially concerning 16-25 year olds. With the emergence of the government’s ‘Children’s Fund’, there was a requirement to actively engage young people. The Wicked Planners were regularly ‘consulted with’ and invited to meetings with both private and political decision makers in order to ‘have a say’.
I have asked myself over the preceding years whether ‘having a say’ was ever meant to involve affecting the decisions made, or if it has in fact been simply to ‘meet a requirement’. Would any of the new and passionate ideas of a group of 12-14 year olds really have an effect on society and young people’s lives? And if not, why has so much money been invested in children’s rights and participation? Do we really have a place in decision-making or was it just a big politically popular catch phrase to convince us, and the electorate, that young people can positively influence society’s progress?
As a young person involved in the Wicked Planners, winning awards from local and national government and even developing and delivering training for senior managers in the charitable sector, I can say, if nothing else, it has made a profound personal difference. My confidence developed, I began finding it easier to speak in front of a public audience, I am not afraid to ask difficult questions and challenge the ideas and opinions of those with high stakes in society and I have a strong awareness of my rights. These changes helped me to make some significant decisions in my academic life, choosing to take Politics at A level and looking towards studying this at University. It helped me understand the political framework we exist in, and not only that, I am empowered to make the most fundamental decision of all: whether to participate or not.
There were also some personal changes in the views of many of the adults that I worked with, mostly with the revelation that listening to young people is not only useful for ticking a box, but actually making progress within an organisation and society as a whole. I often found decision makers underestimated a young person’s conception of what is realistic and achievable, and after discussion they came to realise that we were not only suggesting small and relatively achievable change, but often had ideas which could benefit the community, rather than just the lives of 16-25 year olds.
There may have been small changes made to decisions that have an effect on children and young people, but has significant change been made? I would argue that if so, there has been a swift backtrack. In an era of austerity and a change of government, it seems participation of children and young people has become too expensive to justify. Cuts to services for young people across the country as a whole is testament to the fact that their views and opportunities of those without a vote are not longer as high up on the government agenda.
Young people have again lost their stake within society as proven by changes to tuition fees and EMA, youth centres closing and youth workers being made redundant: young people’s opinions have not been considered in any of these changes which have had and will continue to have significant impact on their lives and futures. With unemployment figures being highest amongst those aged 16-25, it seems young people are being hit the hardest by the governments deficit reduction plans as the human cost of the economic crisis is paid largely by those who are out of work.
As young people become more and more apathetic about politics, I think it is becoming increasingly important to create a society of children and young people who know they have a right to have a say about the things that affect them and to be actively involved in local decision making. That is why I asked somewhereto_ for a space to get involved in politics. They directed me to the Regional Youth Work Unit who I am now working with to develop the Youth Network North East; it again involves a range of passionate young people from across the North East, who know that things are not moving in the right direction for our generation in this country, and they all want to be at the forefront of improving the lives of young people living in the north east.
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