Hear hear. As a 17-year-old, the amount of political apathy I am faced with every day is absolutely appalling. “Politics is boring!” is probably the cry I hear most – generally from those who can’t name the Home Secretary or the Leader of the Opposition and have never really given themselves the opportunity to get involved.

It’s a cruel, vicious game, politics, but it is neither boring nor unimportant, and political involvement of youth is vital for a healthy democracy.

Er… you appear to be more than a decade behind the times. Most of what you ask for is already normal. It just hasn’t worked.

http://teachingbattleground.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/political-education-goes-down-the-toilet/

@oldandrew That’s because it was never taught correctly, we need a proper consultation to make sure poitical education is effective. It’s an idea that is very important and it was never persued with enough rigour and committment but that’s not to say it cannot work.

Well said, however the intentional lack of imparting knowledge abut politics in the ‘free’ schools is part of a tradition which goes back to a time when the church provided education for the poor. Our state education has always been guided by the concept of ‘utility’ and now a universal curriculum determines the content,
This, of course, ensures that the state has tight control over the knowledge that can be accessed by children and young adults
The internet now gives access to a massive amount of information but I’m not sure that by the time young adults are able to benefit from it, their potential interest in politics has been lost or worse, they become mobilized by irrational views,

3,

I agree that it was never taught properly. But then that’s true of a lot of subjects. There is no easy way to reform this. There are a long list of “life-related” things that people want taught in schools, from financial management to not beating your wife. If they were all taught to a high standard, as opposed to improvised in PSHE or form time, they’d be no time for academic subjects.

I suppose I have become a cynic, but I am very sceptical about the extent to which politicians should use schools as an instrument for changing attitudes. Putting something on the curriculum does not make people care about it, and ultimately the problem is that people don’t care enough, not that there isn’t a piece of paper saying what they should know.

I think oldandrew is right, citizenship education is already there, it just doesn’t focus on the right things. As someone who has been actively involved in politics since an early age, I obviously know the importance of politics, infact I’ve been campaigning for an improved system for some time now.

If I’m honest though, I think you’re not campaigning the right way, even if you are only getting started. You need to be holding meetings with headmasters, heads of citizenship education all over the country and lobbying the right MPs, not just writing to a average backbencher, you need to get off your arse and hold meetings. Then when you’ve got enough support from the Commons maybe the Secretary of State, Micheal Gove, will see the need for change – if not hold a meeting with him!

I think this is something that can’t be JUST done by two 14 year olds, do you have any direct support?

We are both experienced at political campaigning, Conor’s branch chairman for Mansfield CF and I’ve been involved with activism for 8 years now, coordinating national and international protests with hundreds of thousands of people. We are planning on getting more support but we have to start somewhere. We are starting to get bigger name supporters like Unlock Democracy.

I find it hard to believe that you were organising protests for hundreds of thousands of people at the age of six. Name the earliest protest you’ve organised.

No, I’ve been involved with activism seen six, not organising protests. I’ve been organising those protests in May/June and we’re working on October.

God god my grand father took me to meeting at six seven, at eight I was listening to Nye Bevan talking Michael Foot and many others, I took my grand kids to meeting sadly when the kids got older they turned away from Labour with Blair.

Both my grand kids are more Liberals then Labour and now of course the Liberals have returns to the oldest party the Whigs, they are closer to the independent parties like the SNP or Plaid.

I see young people for example the local schools hold politics clubs and they hold elections they have meeting help for example prefects are selected through a slate.

So this is rubbish, what is wrong in this country is that politics have become basically crap Labour in an inward looking party while the Tories are the Tories.

This week Miliband stated he is working for the people that work, sadly in my area the last twenty years have seen high youth unemployment, so forgive me if you want kids to be interested then get politics interesting.

10
I respect your view but my opinion is that politics have become crap because people don’t care and they don’t care because they are not educated to care.

A brilliant idea. A major contributor to political apathy is people simply never developing an interest and understanding of politics at an early age, leading to what Charlie Brooker once described as feeling like one is tuning into episode 849 of the world’s most complex soap opera.

11

Do you not realise how Orwellian “educated to care” sounds?

There are limits to what the state can do to shape people’s values.

@OP, Luke Shore: “Currently, there is a worrying culture in the United Kingdom whereby young people taking an active role in decision making and politics is frowned upon. Young people are actively discouraged by parents at home and teachers at school from taking a role in politics and shaping their communities and their society.”

Welcome, Luke. I don’t follow your definition of “politics”, however. “Politics” can mean the heavy party/campaign/demo stuff, or it can mean grass roots campaigns. “Politics” is also personal: about what you buy or how you present yourself to the world, about how you address bullies, sexists, homophobes and racists.

Young people are the best able to define the circumstances in which they live, the problems that they face. Us old codgers have to learn to listen. But you know what? Having listened to you, codgers and whippersnappers may come to a decision that you do not like.

Please encourage your mates to join the youth branches of the three main parties if it suits the philosophy of your mates. But don’t push.

Please encourage your mates to get involved with grass roots campaigns or to attend rubbish collection exercises by the canal. Or read a newspaper.

Look after your mates who may be groomed by extremist parties. Y’know that is why teachers and parents are scared about political involvement.

13
What do you mean by ‘Orwellian’?
If you are asserting that I believe that education should reflect a certain political opinion you are wrong, you are making a judgement based on fresh air.
If you mean that politics, which is a broad spectrum, could be included in existing ‘current affairs’ courses, you are correct.
I doubt if Orwell would disagree with that.

13
Btw, did you read my post @4, surely it doesn’t sound like I am in agreement with the state shaping values.

I believe that economic education is far more important. I am amazed by the number of people who have very little understanding of economics and business who make comments on websites and blogs that do not make any sense at all. At least if you understand it you can criticise it, e.g. the failure to appreciate the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion, or not seeing the difference between a market based economy and capitalism.

@15. steveb: “If you mean that politics, which is a broad spectrum, could be included in existing ‘current affairs’ courses, you are correct.”

Twenty odd years ago the General Studies A Level judged by the Joint Matriculation Board was considered to be a fair admission qualification to top universities in the north and midlands of England.

@17. JC: “I believe that economic education is far more important.”

Far more important than what? Advocates of every subject will argue that their subject is necessary, but there is insufficient room in the curriculum to teach them all. The curriculum can only provide the basics, little nuggets.

The Harrier jump-jet can take off vertically without assistance, and some students can learn a difficult topic in a very short time. However, the Harrier takes off more easily if it runs up a ramp, as do students.

Little nuggets of knowledge, little ramps.

Oh I SOOO support this and have been banging on about it for years. Well done both of you and I will share this far and wide.

I am in total support. A generation with a large proportion apathetic not voting young people will be followed by a much more politicised youth as a result of Tuition fees, but political eduaction and British consitution and law should be central to our young people’s education.

@20. Sue Marsh: “Oh I SOOO support this…”

@21. PamF: “I am in total support. A generation with a large proportion apathetic not voting young people will be followed by a much more politicised youth as a result of Tuition fees…”

Yes, Luke. Whatever you want to do, will be backed by people who are scarier than your mother.

Charlieman – How do you know how scary their mothers are?

There is surely an argument for a curriculum that reflect life, not just one that prepares you for A Levels?

Economics – I agree, certainly a basic understanding of money.

The “state shaping our values???” WTF? Ignore them guys. You are quite right that most people don’t have the first clue about how our democracy works or why it matters to be involved with it. Even holding yearly “elections” would help.

Arguably, it is the fact that our young people are not educated in politics that leads the Murdochs, our politicians and our media to keep on feeding at the trough, safe in the knowledge that few will every question them.

Hello Sue Marsh. Thanks for thinking and thanks for being contrary.

15 and 16

I said Orwellian as “educated to care” is very positive sounding, but taken literally actually involves the rather sinister idea that the state should be in charge of how people feel.

I didn’t think 4 contradicted that, as it was talking about knowledge not values or feelings.