Member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group Daisy recently took a trip to Northern California. There Daisy witnessed how different yet similar the USA is and the impact of privilege on during an eventful time for the nation.

Hi I’m Daisy Ford and I’m a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group

Last month I had the privilege of travelling to California with my Dad. We began in San Francisco which wasn’t unlike a major British city, other than the landmarks I didn’t notice any huge cultural differences. However, the days we spent there were truly eye opening, especially in regard to the homeless population. It is so easy to be prejudiced, if unintentionally, and any travel guide we had read made it sound as if San Francisco’s homeless were typically aggressive. I don’t doubt there are many incidents, but during our time it was difficult to feel anything but a sense of injustice especially as we visited soon after Elon Musk had announced that he would be moving X’s headquarters to Texas partly because he had complained about the number of homeless people living in San Francisco!

It felt surreal to hear a billionaire complain about people who are unimaginably less privileged than himself simply existing, especially after witnessing the issue firsthand. While homelessness is an issue in the UK the contrast between the rich and poor was so clear at that moment in time.

I was also surprised by the strength of faith we witnessed. The further away from the city we drove and the closer we got towards Yosemite and Tahoe there seemed to be twice as many churches, we also passed a number of gun and ammunition stores which never got to be less of a shock. We also drove past a house with a US flag the size of their front yard flying and a huge anti-abortion poster on their fence depicting a glowing foetus with a halo and the message encouraging people to “pray for an end to abortion”. It wasn’t hard to see where many of the conservative American stereotypes come from.

However, our personal experiences with members of small-town communities were overwhelmingly positive. One particular day trip was to Coulterville, a real old Western town with old saloon buildings and its own coyote festival each September. The shopkeepers were incredibly generous and one even gave us a piece of jewellery for free for being the first customers all day. The restaurant served their own homemade vegan burgers, had a tourist information desk and there was an overwhelming sense of community spirit.

Overall, the trip was a once in a lifetime experience and I am especially grateful to have been able to spend that time with family, it was surreal to be in the country at the same time as an assassination event and in the days before Joe Biden stepped down.

It was fascinating to see how a country so different yet similar to our own feels and functions on the day to day. The trip did make me think about the plight of young people there and what their future holds. It also made me think about my own privilege and how incredibly lucky I am. I could say the same compared to the struggles of some of the young people in Somerset. Even if they’re not as visible I know there are young people displaced, vulnerable and facing challenges most of us couldn’t imagine. Youth Parliament isn’t about party politics – it can represent those young people and offer all young people a voice! Get in touch, if you would like to attend a meeting and speak to us, or you want to know more!

Daisy

Did you know that Somerset Youth Parliament isn’t just it’s elected members? Any young person in Somerset aged 11-25 years can become a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group.

For more information about becoming a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament Advisory Group and to join, visit our Join Us page