Young people in Scotland vote for participation

Date: 2nd May 2017
Category: Respect for the views of the child

A social media poll run by IDEAS and partners as part of its Young Citizen Advocates initiative in the run-up to 2018's Year of Young People has so far shown a clear desire by young people to have greater influence over political decisions that affect their lives.

Almost 700 young people have already voted - and three quarters of these chose 'Participation' as one of their top three options as a priority for discussion and development in 2017 and 2018. Health and Wellbeing was the second most popular theme, followed by Equality and Discrimination, then Education.

The official Year of Young People themes are:

1. Participation - looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
2. Education - creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
3. Health and Wellbeing -supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
4. Equality and Discrimination - broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
5. Enterprise and Regeneration - celebrating young people's role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
6. Culture - celebrating young people's talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.

• For young people who still wish to vote in the poll, it can be accessed here.
• Find out more about the Year of Young People 2018 and IDEAS' plan for Youth Citizen Advocates events here.