Young people are political, we need to show them politics is worth their time

Energetic. Ambitious. Optimistic. Passionate. Working with young people for nearly a decade taught me they’re the most likely of all age groups to challenge, ask hard question and tell it as it is. But young people are also the least likely of all age groups to vote. Why?

Maybe it’s because they get a bad deal from politicians. Since the Coalition came to power young people have been squeezed hard. If you’re under 35 you’re more likely to be out of work, if you’re at college in England you no longer get Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and if you go onto university you’ll leave saddled with huge debts. In all likelihood your youth group will have been closed or scaled back, and you might be spending half your wages on your rent.

It’s a chicken and egg situation. The less young people get involved in mainstream politics, the less politicians champion the causes and services that matter most to them. It causes problems for all young people, and is catastrophic for some.

The Labour Party couldn’t care more about this. Any society that doesn’t invest in and value young people isn’t worth its salt. Forget the old saying, young people are the future. Young people are the present, and society is stronger when they have a voice.

The last thing that will help is a lecture from politicians about the importance of voting. All of the young people I’ve worked with, whether they’re homeless teenagers, working mums or recent graduates, care a lot about politics. They have plenty of opinions about their lives and communities and ideas for how to change the world. What we do need is to show that they can affect what happens in Britain, whether it’s joining the party, voting or campaigning, politicians and elections are too important to ignore.

Generation Y Vote, which Ivan Lewis launched on LabourList this week, is trying to connect with young people’s energy and enthusiasm for politics. We want to hear what young people have to say about the country, rather than lecturing them about Westminster.

There are people who are great at this, but too seldom are they political parties. In Wigan one of the places I have the best conversations with young people about politics is when I spend time at Rathbone, a charity that supports under-25s with education and training. It does such a great job because young people are in their own environment, they have real power about the services and the way they’re run. Rathbone treats them as equals, doesn’t try to dictate the terms of the conversation and listens to what they have to say. They’re not alone. Bite the Ballot are running a great voter registration campaign with Jamal Edwards. Groups like Get Real Youth and the GMB are encouraging young people to engage with trade unions. These are organisations powered by young people speaking to their peers, making the case to be more politically active.

Labour can and will learn from them because we know that young people in Britain have a diverse range of things that matter to them. A 25 year old mum of two struggling with childcare costs has different priorities to a school leaver looking for an apprenticeship. People under-35 in London and the South East face serious problems finding secure and affordable housing, whereas some of their peers in the north east may already own a home but struggle to find work to pay the mortgage. Young people don’t just care about “youth issues”. They have grandparents, friends, and views about the wider world. What almost all young people have in common is that their voices aren’t loud enough in the political debate and unless we can change that things aren’t going to get better for them, or for the country, anytime soon.

I wouldn’t be in the Labour Party if I didn’t believe a Labour government would make things better for young people in Britain. That they will go to better schools, earn higher wages and have all the chances they need to succeed. That we will work hard to give all young people opportunities whatever their circumstances and whatever their talents. But I also know that the Labour Party and the country will be stronger and better if we can involve more young people in it, inspire them to take part and make it easier for them to get involved. That’s why Generation Y Vote has to be a project for all of the party, for CLPs and councillors as well as MPs.

All over the country I meet young people from a wide range of backgrounds, bursting with things to offer. Their energy, ambition, optimism and passion belongs in the Labour Party.

Lisa Nandy is MP for Wigan and Shadow Minister for Civil Society