Many teens across the country, just like me, are interested and engaged in politics. There is the stigma that Young people are indifferent and more interested in public trivial issues than politics, and in some cases that may be true. Politics still matter to the younger generation because it effects our future.

Still many young people across the country are not as engaged in politics as we will like to be, but that’s not our fault. If anything I blame the politicians, who in my eyes seen as s boring, monotone and irrelevant.

Politicians are seen as untrustworthy, dreary, distant and self-serving. It is painfully obvious what is needed to rectify this situation a wider cross-section of politicians in terms of age, sex, ethnic origin and social class, that the younger ‘melting pot’ generation can relate to.  To be honest we need more leaders like Barack Obama, charismatic and interesting.

Young people need to feel involved, whatever their interest in politics, young people consistently feel powerless. That they are not being listened to. All of us have voice but we are being rebuffed constantly. More effort is needed by politicians to consult young people, understand their concerns and discard ‘power suits’ in favour of a less stuffy, more accessible image. We need to feel that you understand us!

There needs to be more imaginative and entertaining political education lessons in schools and colleges; we want to be part of it, but not when it’s boring and predictable, we don’t want to be lectured to, we want to take part. The younger generation need to feel confident that politicians share their concerns and have a genuine interest in their views. However, politics needs to be delivered in a more accessible way if it is to engage their attention in the first place and make us want to know more and take part actively . It’s our future that is at stake here.

by Gabrielle Barnaby