Young People Take the Lead on Scottish Referendum
01 May 2014
As Scotland approaches the Independence Referendum, it is becoming of increasing concern that not enough young people are registered to vote. With a lack of any coherent national strategy to engage young people in the referendum, two Scottish charities Fast Forward and Crew are organising a conference to demonstrate the power that young people are having on leading and influencing each other to lead positive lives.
Taking the Lead
The one-day Edinburgh conference, titled Taking the Lead: Peer Led Work for Young People takes political engagement as one of its themes, as well as digital responsibility and health and well-being. As well as showcasing several innovative peer led projects, the conference will feature a talk delivered by Member of Scottish Youth Parliament Jordan Linden and a workshop by Will Golding of Edinburgh Council.
Ah Dinnae Dae Politics
“This is an incredible opportunity with the referendum vote being extended to people aged 16 and above,” says Will. “However, you can’t expect citizens to participate equally in that decision without also providing education around what that vote is about and the consequences of it.
“It’s obvious that young people are more likely to engage with each other on a topic than be told what to do by adults. I’ve been working with young people across the Lothians on the Council’s ‘Ah Dinnae Dae Politics’ project to create resources that will appeal to young people and answer their questions, instead of ours.”
The project, which has been running since September 2013 and has involved 50 different workshops with over 300 16-25 year olds, will be presented to delegates at the conference so that they may use the resources in their own work. “The resources provide a framework to get young people talking about politics and the referendum in a semi-controlled environment. We’re not trying to get them to vote one way or another; that’s for them to decide.”
Young people unlikely to vote
At a recent Q&A organised by 19 year old Cara Clinton and charity Fixers UK, MSP Ken MacIntosh said: “One of the things that’s concerned all politicians across all countries, not just Scotland, is the fact that young people are less likely to vote than ever.”
“That’s depressing for politicians, particularly because it undermines your mandate to do anything. You’ve got less authority to speak on people’s behalf if they don’t vote for you.”