Catch21 Productions | New Ideas on engaging young people with politics

We want to kick-start a revolution of participation in British politics by changing the way it is perceived by the public. Catch21 seeks to achieve this by producing shows all over the UK, which will attract young people - those who are seen as the least likely to be interested in the traditional style of politics - by including well-known public faces.

New Ideas on engaging young people with politics

Oona King, the former Labour Party MP who famously lost her seat to the Respect Party’s George Galloway in 2005 has become a new adviser to Gordon Brown on Youth Engagement. Her new ideas on how to engage young people with politics include; lowering the minimum voting age to 16, ensuring that there is a youth fund for every local authority in the UK, introducing young mayors and encouraging wannabe politicians to have a youth manifesto which would be distributed in schools and youth clubs.

Some of these ideas have already been put into practise on a smaller scale. For example in the Isle of Mann (which is not officially part of the UK) the voting age has already been lowered to 16 in 2006 and some areas already have young mayors. What other things can be done though to engage young people though or will these ideas be enough?