There was some controversy last week about the Youth Parliament. I asked my children who they had voted for and who their YPMP's was. They had never heard of the body and had never voted in an election for such an Institution.
A web search finds that Welsh Members of the Youth Parliament are chosen from an organisation that has the rather Old Codgers do Youth! title of Funky Dragon. My children have never voted in a Funky Dragon election, never heard of it, and the organisation's website doesn't appear to have been updated during their secondary school career!
On a local level, there appears to be a shadow Youth Conwy Council. Again my kids have never heard of it and have never voted for its members.
If only one of my children had not heard about these examples of youth democracy in action disregarding youth democracy, I could understand. But my youngest son is in to politics.
If he had a chance to stand election as Young Conwy Councillor, Youth Assembly Member or YPMP for Abercowny he would have stood and campaigned for election with a gusto that would put many senior politicians to shame; but as he has never heard of nomination or election to these so called "youth democratic institutions" he has been disenfranchised and deprived of his right of candidature. Or is the whole idea just a piss take?
So much agreement with this post. I had never heard of Funky Dragon until a few weeks ago when I came across it a few weeks ago, quite by accident. I'd no idea there was a local youth forum either until I was too old for it!
ReplyDeleteIt always seems like you're running up against a brick wall trying to find information on youth councils / parliaments. Outdated info and contact details, etc.