British Youth Council General Election Manifesto: Our Parliament. Our Vision.

2015-2020

Our Minds

Matter

16: A New Age for democracy

Living

Wage for Everyone

Save our

Youth Services

Teach First Aid

in Schools

Contents Foreword by Mita Desai, Chair of The British Youth Council...... 3 A manifesto by young people calling for action......................... 4 Calls to action: Sixteen: A New Age for Democracy............................... 6 Our Minds Matter............................................................. 8 Living Wage for Everyone.............................................. 10 Save our Youth Services................................................ 12 Teach First Aid in Schools............................................. 14 About Us.................................................................................16

Foreword Welcome to our youth-led vision for our next Parliament, welcome to the British Youth Council’s Election Manifesto.

The British Youth Council (BYC) is made up of delegations of young people from 260 organisations. We are recognised by the Government (with cross party support) the European Union, and the Commonwealth, as the national youth council of the UK representing youth voices. We are a totally youth-led charity and are not only committed to educating young people about democracy but also, providing them with a platform to inform and influence it for the common good.

Over the last ten months we have gone through a process of developing, debating and voting to select the five issues described within this manifesto. The topics show that there is still a lot to do before young people in UK today are treated fairly and equally in society. It can be tough being a young person in the UK when - you aren’t paid equally; you don’t always get the healthcare you need; and you have fewer places to go when your local youth club has been closed. This manifesto is our charity’s cross-party campaign to raise awareness of the issues we feel should and could be addressed by the next Government so we will be writing an open letter asking candidates and parties to respond. After the election we will follow up with the new Government*.

Young people may only be 20% of the population but we are 100% of the future. We are ready and willing work with Government and are calling for the appointment of a new post of Youth Minister to not only coordinate and implement policy; but take on responsibility for listening to all young people throughout a Parliament, especially those who cannot vote - yet!

Use us or lose us; talk to us not about us; give us something to vote for - and you will find we will all be better off.

Mita Desai, Chair – British Youth Council *This manifesto is not a regulated activity under the Lobbying Act 2015 as it is aimed at general awareness raising of our issues, and directed at those potentially forming a Government, and not at voters.

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A Manifesto by young people calling for action In May 2014, the British Youth Council began the process of consulting young people across the UK about the issues they cared about. We invited delegates from our 260 member youth organisations to shape their ideas into policy and campaign motions for the BYC Manifesto.

In September 2014, at the BYC Annual Council Meeting, members debated and voted on a final version of the manifesto. Finally, January 2015, members were balloted online to identify five priority issues that could be put to a future Government to address. These top five issues are our calls to action in our General Election Manifesto.

May 2014 – BYC began consulting young people across UK, and our Membership organisations shaped policy proposals for the manifesto

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September 2014 - BYC members debated policy motions, voted and updated manifesto

BYC Annual Council Meeting

January 2015 - Members voted online for top 5 priorities from BYC manifesto

vote

February 2015 – Top 5 priorities chosen

16: A New Age for democracy

Our Minds

Matter

Living

Wage for Everyone

Save our

Teach

Services

in Schools

Youth

First Aid

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We want OUR PARLIAMENT to:

16: A New Age for democracy

Reduce the voting age for parliamentary and other public elections, across the UK, to 16 years.

Our Vision: We believe that 16 and 17 year olds should be given the vote in all public elections, across the UK, and empowered through quality political education to participate in democracy. We believe that at 16 we are mature enough to engage in, and contribute to, our democracy through having the vote.

Key Facts YY In 2013 “Votes at 16� topped the Make Your Mark ballot of 478,000 young people from across the UK.1 YY 1.5 Million 16 and 17 year olds are currently denied the right to vote in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but over 109,000 are registered voters in Scotland.2 YY Given the opportunity, 75% of 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland voted in the independence referendum and 60% of the general public in Scotland are now in favour.3 YY 16 and 17 year olds can consent to medical treatment, work full-time and pay taxes, have sex; get married or enter a civil partnership and join the armed forces (with consent) but cannot vote.

1 Make Your Mark Results Report, The British Youth Council, 2013 2 Population Estimate, Office of National Statistics, 2013 3 The Electoral Commission, 2014

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“

Democracy is about empowering people to participate in decision making. 16 and 17 year olds are not allowed to vote in all public elections and as a result do not have a say on the on policies that affect their lives.

There is something very odd in a system that allows 16 and 17 year olds to get married, have sex with an MP and pay taxes but denies them the right to vote.

“

The impressive turnout from 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland further demonstrates young people are interested in politics; and will participate where given the opportunity. Without the right legally put a cross next to their preferred candidate, young people are easily ignored because their voices do not have to be listened to. It is time to change this’.

Pegah Moulana – BYC member, Barnsley Youth Council

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We want OUR PARLIAMENT to:

Our Minds

Matter

Recognise that our minds matter, and improve the access to and quality of our mental health services.

Our Vision: We believe that the Government needs to do more to address mental health challenges faced by young people. We believe that the stigma surrounding mental health prevents many young people from seeking support; and that help and advice is often scarce. Greater investment needs to be made to ensure that support and care is; ageappropriate, youth friendly and accessible both locally and nationally for 16-25 year olds. We also believe that the Government must ensure measures are developed to raise the quality of youth mental health provisions across the UK. Key Facts YY About one in six young adults aged 16–24 will have a common mental health disorder (anxiety or depression).1 YY 9 out 10 young people will receive negative reactions to their mental health diagnosis.2 YY Half of all lifetime cases of psychiatric disorders start by age 14 and three quarters by age 24.3 YY Since 2010, two-thirds of local authorities have reduced their budgets for Child and Adolescent Metal health Services (CAMHS).4

1 2 3 4

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National Centre for Social Research, 2009 Time to Change, 2013 Key Data on Adolescence 2013, Association from Young People’s Health, 2013 Young Minds, 2013

“

Adolescence and early adulthood are peak times for the onset of mental health problems, but there are a range of barriers to accessing effective and early care. Transitions between child and adult services tend to be poorly co-ordinated and there is a lack of ageappropriate mental health care to support this particular group. The Department of Health admits that the problem of transition has not been resolved and that many young people “fall off the cliff edge” at age 18.

Adults mental health services are often not designed or delivered in ways that young people wish to engage with, and the fear of being stigmatised for having a mental health problem is also a major factor in young people’s decisions not to access help from mainstream services.

“

Susan Blishen – Right Here Project (BYC Member)

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Living

Wage for Everyone

We want OUR PARLIAMENT to:

Ensure that everyone is paid the Living Wage.

Our Vision: We believe that work must, at the very least, provide a route out of poverty, and that a Living Wage is therefore necessary. We also believe there should be an equal rate regardless of age.

Key Facts YY The Living Wage is an hourly rate of pay, calculated independently, that reflects the cost of living in the UK. Currently it is set at £9.15 per hour in London, and £7.85 outside London.1 YY Compared to the National Minimum Wage’s 81%2 increase since 1999, the price of a loaf of bread has increased by 149%3 and the price of gas by 192%.4 YY Just over half of the 13 million people in poverty - surviving on less than 60% of the national median (middle) income - are from working families.5

1 2 3 4 5

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The Living Wage Foundation, 2014 National Minimum Wage see: http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/ The Executive Director Total Remuneration Survey, 2014 Department of Energy and Climate Change, 2014 Monitoring Poverty And Social Exclusion, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2013,

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How can it be right in a modern economy that we simply allow employers to pay their workforce so little that they are forced to rely on state benefits? How can it be right that we pay workers according to their age, rather than their ability to do a job? How can it be right that decent family life has to be sacrificed by those forced to work two minimum wage jobs just to get by?

Work must pay, and it must pay enough for people to live and to lift them out of poverty. ‘The working poor’ is a phrase that we should be thoroughly ashamed of.

These are human beings and they deserve more, they deserve better. We can’t afford to go on like we have.

But we can afford the Living Wage.

“

Andrew Anderson - UNISON National Young Members Forum (BYC Member)

The UK Youth Parliament voted in the House of Commons, 2014, to make the Living Wage their priority campaign, after it topped a priority ballot of 876,000 young people 11

We want OUR PARLIAMENT to:

Save our

Youth Services

Take the lead in restoring levels of funding for youth services that has been cut in recent years.

Our Vision: We believe properly funded youth services and agencies aid young people in their personal development and their ability to function in society. We believe that youth services should have funding priority to ensure they meet the needs of young people. We believe that youth services need to be recognised for their value.

Key Facts YY Since 2010, youth services have suffered as a result of financial cuts and restrictions.

YY Youth services spending fell by 36% from ÂŁ1.2bn in 2010-11, to ÂŁ791m in 2012-13.1 YY Between 2012 and 2014, around 350 youth centres closed down.2

1 Department for Education, 2014 2 Unison, 2014

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“

Haringey is the 4th deprived borough in London and 13th deprived in Britain. Half of the population within Haringey are young people aged under 25. In 2011 75% of the youth service was cut, which was later followed by a violent reaction in the riots in Tottenham. Before making hasty decisions in cutting important services, such as the Youth Council, Youth Parliament, young people should be engaged in decision making and influencing it.

Policy makers feel that young people are disengaged from politics and drowned with apathy; this is probably a consequence of such disgraceful poorly reasoned acts like massive budget cuts. Young people feel powerless when such decisions are made and therefore as consequence feel disengaged from youth democracy and their communities. A youthful borough like Haringey need a youth service, though a not a statutory duty, it feels mandatory that Haringey must save its Youth Service.

“

Rozeena Hussain – Haringey Youth Council (BYC Member)

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Teach First Aid

in Schools

We want OUR PARLIAMENT to:

Ensure that quality First Aid is a compulsory subject for all children in schools.

Our Vision: We believe that the compulsory teaching of First Aid skills as part of primary and secondary education would equip children and young people with a knowledge of life saving procedures, potentially saving thousands of lives. We also believe that First aid teaching should be given enough time and support to be taught to a high standard for all school pupils at a level appropriate to their ability.

Key Facts YY In countries where first aid education is compulsory and 95% of the population have been trained in first aid, the survival rates for a heart attack are over 50%. In the UK, it is just 18%.1 YY 95% of teachers believe that first aid is an important skill to learn and develop the general confidence and optimism of young people.2 YY Those who have been through first aid training are most likely to help in emergency situations when out and about in their everyday life.3

1 British Heart Foundation – briefing on campaign for life-saving skills to be taught in schools, 2012 2 St John Ambulance on-line survey, 2015 3 St John Ambulance survey – impact of RISE project, 2012

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“

“

We want to see first aid on the national curriculum, and we think it is imperative that the next government commit to doing so. Children want it.

Parents want it. And teachers want it.

Sue Killen –St John Ambulance (BYC Member)

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About the British Youth Council The British Youth Council is the national youth council of the UK. A youth-led charity, we connect with our member organisations and networks of local youth councils, to empower young people aged 25 and under, wherever they are from, to have a say and be heard. We aim to help them to participate in decisions that affect them; have a voice and campaign on issues they believe in, inspire them to have a positive impact, and gain recognition for their positive contribution to communities, society and the world.

Serving our membership Our membership is made up of more than 260 organisations that support our common vision for young people. Members elect our Board, determine our policies and prioritise our campaigns. They also act as the link between BYC and millions of individuals within the membership of our members.

Youth-Led networks BYC runs a number of youth-led network and programmes – including the UK Youth Parliament, Young Mayor Network, Local Youth Council Network and Youth Select Committee – which encourage young people to get involved in democracy and campaign about change.

Campaigning and consulting BYC seeks to represent the views of young people and our members to stakeholders and decision makers at a local, national and international level.

Training and recognition Our training programmes empower young people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to bring about change. We also recognise young people who have made a significant contribution to their community through our high-profile award schemes.

International Work Through our international youth participation, young people; learn about global issues and connect and share with other young people around the World. They are able to take part in discussions and influence decisions made at an international level.

For more information please visit www.byc.org.uk/generalelection.

British Youth Council Tel: 0845 458 1489 Email: mail@byc.org.uk Web: byc.org.uk Twitter: @byclive Facebook: facebook.com/britishyouthcouncil Registered Charity no. 1123224 | Company Limited by Guarantee no. 6226595 Registered in England and Wales | Registered Office: 49-51, East Road, London, N1 6AH Published by the British Youth Council.