Vote in our polls! There will be lots of general election themed polls featured and we want to know what you think. You don’t get a vote, but you do have a voice!
Do you know the name of your MP (Member of Parliament)?
Thousands of young people are preparing to vote in a nationwide mock general election called Our Generation. Our Vote.
In the lead-up, polling has revealed that:
- 70% of young people under 18 don’t know the name of their MP
- 59% are unable to name which party their local MP belongs to
- 79% are unaware of which issues matter most to their elected representative
Do you think young people have enough access to leisure spaces like youth clubs?
Sport, drama, music and other opportunities should be available for us all at the end of the school day, free of charge for families who can’t afford to pay.
We also want more spaces to go to out of school where we can enjoy ourselves with our friends. Young carers need help to make sure they get time just to “be a kid”, too. Our views should be listened to in our communities about what facilities we would like.
Every child and teenager should have a good quality, free or cheap youth club we can go to where we can be safe and take part in things that interest us. This would also help cut down on the number of young people hanging out on the streets and getting into trouble.
We should have adults we can talk to at these youth clubs about any problems we have, to stop them getting worse, and to get us help if we need it.
We should all be close to a green space, so we can feel nature around us. Research shows this helps our mental health and well-being.
Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
You have to be 18 to vote in general elections in the UK, but this isn’t the case everywhere around the world.
In some elections in the UK, 16 and 17-year-olds are allowed to vote, such as for the Welsh and Scottish Parliaments.
But, young people are less likely to vote than older people.
Some people think if 16 and 17-year-olds vote, then the turnout (the percentage of people who vote) will go down. Others think that young people should be able to have a say on issues that affect them.
Their biggest rivals to the current government in the election, Labour, say they would lower the voting age in England from 18 to 16, like it is in Wales and Scotland. Labour’s leader, Sir Keir Starmer, said: “If you can work, if you can pay tax, if you can serve in your armed forces, then you ought to be able to vote.”
Do you like the idea of introducing national service for 18-year-olds?
The two men hoping to become prime minister after the 4 July general election have been setting out their ideas to appeal to voters.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Conservative Party say they’ll bring back National Service for school leavers if they win the election.
Under the plan, 18-year-olds in the UK would have to either complete a full year in the military, or spend one weekend per month for 12 months helping non-military organisations, like the police or the NHS.
There would be 30,000 places available for the “best and brightest” teenagers to apply for the military option.
Mr Sunak says the scheme would give young people a “renewed sense of pride in our country”, while Home Secretary James Cleverly told the BBC: “We want to get back to a situation where young people are mixing with people in different areas, different economic groups, different religions.”
Should the government be doing more to support women’s and girls’ issues?
We launched the First News Children’s Party to give young people a voice during this general election year.
We attended the launch of Girlguiding’s ‘For all girls’, where they shared the topics that they want the next government to champion for women and girls in the future.
Their four key themes were girls’ safety, mental health, cost of living and the environment.
The event was attended by politicians and decision-makers, as well as celebrity guest Ashley James, who spoke about girls’ mental health.