Involving young people

Young people increasingly feel disillusioned with British democracy and sometimes wonder - is it worth voting? This is without realising that politics and the people we vote for and elect decide things which affect us all, such as:

• Schools
• Swimming pools
• Ice rinks
• Concerts
• Buses
• Parks
• Rubbish collection
• Libraries
• Road safety

Even things like mobile phones, VAT that we pay on clothing and services, licensing for clubs and public entertainment are affected by politics in some way.

Every day the people that we elect make decisions that affect us all, however:

• millions of 18 to 25 year olds fail to vote, representing approximately 14 per cent of the United Kingdom electorate
• many do not vote because of apathy, some do not even put their names on the Register of Electors each year

In Plymouth young people make up a significant proportion of the population and are the future of democracy (13 per cent) in this city.

Research shows that if a person recognises the importance of voting and starts to vote at an early age that they are more likely to continue voting throughout their adult life.