At this month’s Somerset Youth Parliament meeting the group discussed aspects of young people’s political awareness and experiences – considering other people’s beliefs and understanding of not only Politics, elections and Party-Political manifestos, but also understanding social political values and differences.
In last months meeting article whatever people know or think they know – being ‘right’ isn’t the point for Somerset Youth Parliament – it’s about holding the group’s values and principles of challenge and change for a better world. Just as important is exploring and considering other people’s opinions to find common ground. Being ‘right’ is less important than finding that common ground.
Somerset Youth Parliament prides itself on advocating for young people and representing them. This can only be done by considering ‘other’ views in a respectful way. It is a group where we challenge each other’s (and our own) assumptions.
Here Rosalind a new member of our Advisory Group gives her view on her experiences.
I’ve found, among my peers, that young people tend to be either very politically opinionated or have a complete lack of interest in politics. It is unusual to find anyone who is partially aware of the subject.
I believe this could be because of a number of factors.
Some young people may be passionate about politics because of external influence or because the topic directly affects their life. Many of the teenagers I know will adopt views they’ve been exposed to on social media and even more will adopt the views of their parents.
Furthermore, I’ve found that young people with unwavering political beliefs appear to voice their views with extreme confidence and be intolerant of other views. While only a minority of young people would discriminate against others because of political differences, I believe the majority of young people aren’t open to changing their mind when it comes to politics.
Other teenagers seem to be entirely apathetic in terms of politics. This could be because of the belief that it is irrelevant (as under 18 year-olds can’t vote), it is “uncool” or unpopular among their peers or if they have grown up in a non-political home where they haven’t been introduced to the way the government or parliament works.
I believe this divide between young people is unhealthy and can cause not only minor disputes in a playground, but deep, unaddressed issues that will cause problems in later life. For example, many young adults could become accustomed to only socialising with similar-minded people which would therefore lead to a worrying lack of diversity and further exacerbate the polarisation within society.
Rosalind
Not just elected members
Did you know that Somerset Youth Parliament isn’t just it’s elected members? Any young person in Somerset aged 10-25 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.
