If you were 14 or older in 2011, when a number of youth services were being dismantled and specialist provision for young people was dropped overnight, you are likely to be eligible to vote in this year’s General Election.
I know that 4 years is a long period of time in a young person’s life, but don’t forget what happened. It was a really rocky period of time, with closures of youth clubs and angry young people, who were made to feel like second class citizens.
In 2011, I made a speech to the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. I talked about what was happening in my own local area. Vulnerable young people were left to fend for themselves after services were dropped overnight, and councils were trying to balance their vastly reduced budgets. The Government did not see young people as a priority and just left things as they were. I was invited to make a short speech to the Choose Youth Lobby of Parliament, and lots of young people came to lobby their MPs and put young people and youth services back on the table.
But what happened since then? All the talking fell on deaf ears, although there were a number of small victories in local areas where local councillors, young people and youth workers took matters into their own hands and were able to save their centres. But this didn’t happen all across the UK and it left patchy provision, with a number of areas leaving young people to fall through the gap.
- Unemployment/under-employment
- Higher university tuition fees with worries about debt
- Postcode lottery for provision and support for young people meaning some areas have good provision while other areas have nothing.
- Foodbanks
- Mental health issues rising
These are just a few issues. There are many more. What kind of UK do you want to be a part of? One which has no real place for young people, or one which sees young people as the key to the future?
It’s not for me to tell you who you should vote for, but don’t think that your vote doesn’t matter. It really does. Especially in this General Election.
Today is the last day to register to vote. You can register to vote here:
emilyhewson 
Reblogged this on Detached Youthwork – Learning from the Street.
Thank you! 🙂
no probs i was thinking something similar recently , but your experience at the Labour conference gave it far far more creedibility..