WORKSHOP: Making Democracy Work for Young People

Authors: Stephen Frost, Rosie Lockwood,
                 Becca Massey Chase (all IPPR)
Publisher:  IPPR
Online publication date:  December 2021

TO IPPR EVENT PAGE

Leeds Workshop with Young People

October 2021

In October 2021 and as part of the REDEM's project activities of engaging future voters from the young generation, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in the UK organised via its IPPR North branch a workshop with young people to talk about the present state and the future of democracy - as they see it. Ten young people from under-privileged backgrounds from across Yorkshire and the Humber aged 13-18 came together for a debate hosted by Leeds City Hall. They were met by youth work students from Leeds Beckett University, who supported them in their conversations together with facilitators from IPPR. They were also joined by and had the opportunity to interact with Dr Andy Mycock of the University of Huddersfield, an expert in youth participation, and Tracy Babin, metro mayor for West Yorkshire.

The workshop highlighted candidly the policy priorities that matter for young people and what they believe should be done in order to allow them to have a say on these policies. The discussions resulted in a Manifesto for Making Democracy Work for Young People which summarises the young group's ideas for increasing youth democratic participation. All of the above together with insights from the discussions are summarised in the report produced and published by IPPR and IPPR North shortly after the workshop. The young people's message was strong and clear: They want to be more involved and listened to in all policy matters that are important for them.

Online Roundtable

November 2021

The workshop in Leeds was followed by an online roundtable where the the young people's ideas were presented and discussed. Representatives of the young group were joined by members of parliament, councillors, representatives of charities, and youth workers. Also present were academics from Sciences Po, the Goethe University Frankfurt, the University of Edinburgh, The University College London and the University of Texas at Austin.

The roundtable focused primarily on engaging young people in elections and democracy. In addition to the policy and participation issues identified during the Leeds event, other key topics included the opportunities and challenges of lowering the voting age and the risks of the education system formally rewarding only certain types of civic participation. The discussions actively confronted the views of the young participants in the Leeds workshop with the diverse opinions expressed by politicians, academics and local administrations representatives attending the event.