Why it's the taking part that counts

New initiatives aim to involve children and young people in the political process and increase voter turnout at the next election. By Michael Durham

How do you involve young people and children in important decisions about their lives? One of the core principles of the Children and Young People's Unit has been a commitment to asking young people about what matters to them – and listening to the replies.

Althea Efunshile, the CYPU director, says: "Our purpose is to support the minister for young people by talking on youth issues – the part of government that knows what is happening for young people. And we can't do that without listening to what young people have to say.

"That is why we consulted on the Government's overarching strategy very widely, and with all young people, not just young people who are 'at risk'. The aim is to help the Government be very clear about what society collectively wants for children and young people.

"We are asking parents too. Broadly speaking, our ambitions and aspirations for children are the same as most parents – attainment at school and fulfilment in life."

The commitment to give children a voice works on every level. At the highest level, the Unit established a Children and young People's Advisory Forum. The 25-member forum, with youngsters from 12 to 18 from all backgrounds and parts of England, has helped write special versions of the Unit's consultation documents especially for young people and children.

The consultation document Building a Strategy for Children and Young People was available in a young-person-friendly version, outlining the Unit's vision and inviting young people to make their views known in a cartoon-style illustrated booklet. A version is also available online at www.cypu.gov.uk.

"We have also asked government departments to draw up action plans – to think through how they can involve young people more. It runs from top to bottom," says Althea Efunshile.

The participation theme also links in with government efforts to persuade young people to vote and take an interest in politics. The YVote?YNot? project launched at the end of 2001 by John Denham, the Minister for Young People, is an attempt to involve young people in the political process.

YVote?YNot? involved around 60 young people producing a video and campaigning document called UpFront, articulating how they felt about politics, politicians and voting, and calling MPs, the Government, the Electoral Commission and the media to action. The project aims to address the low turnout among young people at the last election – 39 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds. The main messages were that young people are not uninterested, but need the issues in which they are interested addressed clearly, in relevant media and in the places where they spend their time, and in a way that makes politics relevant.

The report, Young People and Politics, included a review of research literature and presented results from a survey of 1,020 young people, carried out by British Market Research Bureau (BMRB). This and the video and UpFront will be developed as part of a teaching resource for the Citizenship curriculum in 2003. Other work on this project is being taken forward with youth organisations, the Electoral Commission and the Hansard Society to make politics more accessible and relevant to young people.

"The most professional thing we've done with the CYPU was the YVote?YNot? conference, because though they didn't involve people as fully as they could have done, the lasting legacy of it will hopefully institutionalise consultation and participation of young people."

Brendan McGowan, 19, Manchester

"The YVote?YNot? Project was a very refreshing approach to listening to young people, direct from the heart of government. As a result, I am now pro-active locally and I am organising a Youth Conference called "Shout OUT!" in February 2003 to tackle local issues and empower young people to have a voice in Blackburn."

Amar Abass, 20, Blackburn

"In 10 years time today's young people will be making decisions, and some of them perhaps running the country. A lot of older people don't vote anymore, probably because they've lost interest in politics. It's really important to make sure that people understand politics for when they get old enough to vote."

Jonathan Hudson, 15, Birmingham, article 12, Children's Rights Alliance for England