Today’s generation of young people are apathetic and disinterested; they have no interest in politics. What a convenient myth for politicians and their fellow ‘players’ in the media, who seek to avoid their responsibility for tackling a situation which threatens the very basis of our democracy.
In my role as the first ever Minister for Young People and Learning, I meet teenagers on a weekly basis who care passionately about their families, neighbours and world. The truth is that they are unconvinced that politicians share their passion or the political process speaks to their concerns. They see us as all the same: a mass of men (yes, men) in grey suits playing a game, offering neither hope nor inspiration.
On a recent visit to Burnley it was young people who were strident in telling me that they and their friends would be voting BNP. They were attracted to a sordid yet simple message that the poor living conditions and lack of opportunities experienced by their families were the fault of their ethnic minority neighbours. Years of ‘ostrich like’ behaviour by some mainstream politicians allowed the festering sores of racism and social exclusion to explode into the tragedy of the BNP’s gains at the recent elections.
There is no greater challenge or duty facing Labour in government than the re-engagement of young people with the mainstream political process. I believe we have the capacity to forge a new relationship with young people: a relationship based on mutual respect where young people are given an authentic chance to have their views and aspirations taken seriously and acted upon. This must also be a mature relationship where politicians not only listen, but share the dilemmas and constraints which influence our capacity to achieve change.
Our agenda for change is both ambitious and realistic. We have created the Children and Young People’s Unit to ensure policies which impact on the day-to-day lives of young people are consistent across government. Every department is to publish an action plan which details their commitment to involving young people in the development of policy and the delivery of services. John Denham is currently undertaking a comprehensive consultation exercise with young people and politicians to reassess the way we approach our politics.
From September, citizenship will become a statutory part of the national curriculum, supporting students to become active and responsible citizens. The best performing schools not only place a strong emphasis on achievement and discipline, they also encourage pupil forums which act as a two way source of communication between staff and students. Estelle Morris has made it clear she wants such an approach to be developed in all schools.
The new Connexions service for teenagers and our Millennium Volunteers initiative are built on the principle that young people must be full participants in the design, delivery and evaluation of the service. Our commitment to reasserting the status and value of statutory and voluntary youth services will help to rebuild services which have been eroded for too long.
More generally, our policies to tackle social exclusion and educational underperformance are beginning to end the scandal whereby too many young people have been consigned to the margin of their communities. As a political party our challenge is to make the link between these advances and our core beliefs and enduring values. The vast majority of young people want the chance to be successful and to live in a decent society. In every locality Labour must reach out to young people as our members, activists and supporters of the future. The alternative is a party which stagnates, decays and ultimately dies.