Youth politics is a category of issues which distinctly involve, affect or otherwise impact youth. It encompasses youth policy that specifically has an impact on young people (for example, education, housing,

employment Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

, leisure) and how young people engage in politics including in institutional politics ( elections, membership of a political party),

youth organisations The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise. ...

and lifestyle.

History

United States

With roots in the early youth activism of the Newsboys and Mother Jones' child labor protests at the turn of the 20th century, youth politics were first identified in American politics with the formation of the

American Youth Congress The American Youth Congress (AYC) was an early youth voice organization composed of youth from all across the country to discuss the problems facing youth as a whole in the 1930s. It met several years in a row - one year it notably met on the law ...

in the 1930s. In the 1950s and 1960s organizations such as the

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, often pronounced ) was the principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Emerging in 1960 from the student-led sit-ins at segrega ...

and Students for a Democratic Society were closely associated with youth politics, despite the broad social statements of documents including the liberal Port Huron Statement and the conservative Sharon Statement and leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. Other late-period figures associated with youth politics include Tom Hayden, Marian Wright Edelman and Bill Clinton.

Europe

Youth politics have an extensive history in Europe, as well.

Free German Youth The Free German Youth (german: Freie Deutsche Jugend; FDJ) is a youth movement in Germany. Formerly, it was the official youth movement of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. The organization was meant ...

was founded in 1946 in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany, and served as the official youth organization of East Germany. In the UK there is a strong youth politics movement, consisting primarily of the British Youth Council, the UK Youth Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament. Although they have no direct power, the young people in these organisations have a close working relationship with Members of Parliament and are fairly influential, albeit ineffectual at bringing about direct change or tangible objectives. Many organisations that strive for youth movement are on the rise. A notable organisation is YouthDebates, an online organisation aiming to engage young people into the world of politics.

Globally

Other continents have experienced a variety of youth politics and political movements. In the recent Mexico’s presidential election another manifestation of how the youth take the politics in the actual world were see, the students movement called “

Yo soy 132 Yo Soy 132, commonly stylized as #YoSoy132, was a protest movement composed of Mexican university students from both private and public universities, residents of Mexico, claiming supporters from about 50 cities around the world. It began as op ...

” made a very notable change in how the elections developed, showing proofs of the electoral fraud they thought will happen, they changed the percentage of acceptation of the PRI candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto and they achieved to decrease it around 12 percentage points between the highest poll results for the candidate and the final results of the elections. In India youth politicians play an important role. Rishabh Mukati is the youngest politician and leader of India. He has organised sports events and various programs to help youth realize their dreams and awaken the Youth Power of India. Increasingly, young people are involved in global youth-led protest movements, for example, about social and environmental justice. This

activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...

is in part because young people have been particularly affected by various crises (political, social, economic, environmental) notably

austerity Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...

. Moreover, young people tend to have more post-materialist values (see work by Ronald Inglehart).

Present

Between the influence of

mainstream media In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought.Chomsky, Noam, ''"What makes mai ...

and

politicians A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, youth politics in the United States has been illegitimated and deprioritized. Organizations such as National Youth Rights Association and The Freechild Project continue to advocate and educate for issues that affect young people specifically, while other organizations, including Youth Service America and Advocates for Youth work for issues that affect youth directly. The children's rights movement is widely credited with keeping youth politics on the national radar, while other fledgling movements such as youth voice and youth participation have yet to gain the spotlight.Even with the efforts of these organizations, many college students do not see politics as an important part of their lives. Only 33% of college freshmen think being knowledgeable about politics is important. Data collected in by the National Center for Education Statistics found that overall young Americans care more about entertainment and sports than political and foreign news.Chandler, Kathryn. "Students Interest in National News and Its Relation to School Courses." National Center for Education Statistics (1997): 1-2. National Center for Education Statistics. U.S Department of Education, July 1997. Despite these statistics there is a positive outlook on youth involvement in the future because of the 2008 election when President Barack Obama ran.

List of current youth politics issues

There are several issues which are deemed "youth politics" by

and other sources. * Age of candidacy * Age of majority * Child labor laws/ Right-to-work laws * Climate Change * Corporal punishment * The draft * Drinking age * Driving age * Education policy/ reform * Emancipation of minors * Environmental issues * Global Warming *

Healthcare Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

* Immigration * Minors and abortion * National service *

School reform Education reform is the name given to the goal of changing public education. The meaning and education methods have changed through debates over what content or experiences result in an educated individual or an educated society. Historically, t ...

* Student rights * Voting age * Youth participation *

Youth service Youth service refers to non-military, intensive engagement of young people in organized activity that contributes to the local, national, or world community. Youth service is widely recognized and valued by society, with minimal or no compensation ...

Youth vote The youth vote in the United States is the cohort of 18–24 year-olds as a voting demographic. Many policy areas specifically affect the youth of the United States, such as education issues and the juvenile justice system. Young people have t ...

List of current youth politics organizations

There are thousands of youth political organizations and programs around the world. * Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad * All India Socialist Youth Council * All-Polish Youth * Bibeksheel Nepali * British Youth Council *

Bus Project Next Up, formerly known as The Bus Project, is a non-profit organization that amplifies the voice and leadership of diverse young people to achieve a more just and equitable Oregon. For over sixteen years, Next Up has amplified the voice and lead ...

* Christian Democratic Youth * College Democrats of America * College Republican National Committee * Communist Youth of Côte d'Ivoire *

Communist Youth Movement The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YC ...

* Democratic Youth Movement * Egypt Youth Party * European Free Alliance Youth * European Liberal Youth * Green Youth, Germany * Green Youth, Sweden * High School Democrats of America * Indian Youth Congress * International Federation of Liberal Youth * JONG * Jugendverband REBELL * Malaysian United Democratic Alliance *

National Youth Organisation (disambiguation) National Youth Organisation may refer to: *National Youth Organisation (Greece), a youth organisation active in the Kingdom of Greece during the authoritarian Metaxas regime *National Youth Organisation (Grenada), a defunct youth organisation in Gr ...

Northern Ireland Young Communist League Northern Ireland Young Communist League was a political youth movement in Northern Ireland, it was formed in 1968. It was the youth wing of the Communist Party of Northern Ireland. It was later amalgamated into the Connolly Youth Movement, follow ...

* Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association * Sangguniang Kabataan * Sveriges Socialdemokratiska Ungdomsförbund (Sweden) *

Scottish Young Liberals Scottish Young Liberals (formerly referred to as Liberal Youth Scotland or LYS) is the Youth and Student wing of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Reformed from the Scottish Young Liberal Democrats in 2008 and Liberal Youth Scotland in 2017, the ...

* Scottish Youth Parliament * Traction *

Teenage Republicans National Teen Age Republicans (TARs) is the youth wing of the United States Republican Party. TARs have a presence in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with membership in the tens of thousands. TARs are one of the three official ...

Turkey Youth Union Youth Union of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Gençlik Birliği, TGB) is a Turkish anti-American, anti-Atlanticist, and Eurasianist revolutionary youth organization closely associated with the Patriotic Party. Founded on 19 May 2006, it comprises 65 s ...

* UK Youth Parliament
YIP Institute
* Young Democrats for Europe * Young Democrats of America *

Young Independence The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...

Young Liberals of Canada The Young Liberals of Canada (YLC) (French: ''Jeunes libéraux du Canada'') is the national youth wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. All members of the Liberal Party aged 25 and under are automatically members of the YLC. The Young Liberals of C ...

Youth wings of political parties in Denmark Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

* Youth of the Danish People's Party * Youth of the Progress Party *

Youth of the Popular Movement against EU Youth Against the EU ( da, Ungdom mod EU) is the youth wing of the People's Movement against the EU The People's Movement against the EU ( da, Folkebevægelsen mod EU) is a political association in Denmark against the European Union. It was fou ...

* Young Americans for Freedom *

Young Communist League of Germany The Young Communist League of Germany (, abbreviated KJVD) was a political youth organization in Germany. History The KJVD was formed in 1920 from the Free Socialist Youth () of the Communist Party of Germany, A prior youth wing had been forme ...

* Young Ecologists * Young Republicans * Not too young to run * National Youth Council of Nigeria NYCN

References

External links

youth and politics
* Sitaraman, G. and Warren, P. (2003)

' Writers Club Press. * Daifallah, A. (1999
A Blueprint for student political influence
Originally published in the ''Peterborough Examiner''. Institute on * Shumilov A. (2012
Factors of formation of electoral policy in the youth environment
// PolitBook. №1. P. 75-85. Governance website. * Hansson K. and Lundahl L. (2004) "Youth politics and local constructions of youth," ''British Journal of Sociology of Education, Volume 25''(2) April 2004, pp. 161–178.
SpunOut.ie Irish National Youth Website
*Giroux, H. (2001

''Z Magazine.''
Youth Political Bloggers
{{Youth empowerment