Talking to EU: white paper - The Democratic Society · Maddie Liver Scott Moore Rebka Muciqi Darian Okakpu Zak Pearce Anna Pitts-tucker Malavi Rajakumaran Beth Robertson Jodie Roft

Talking to EU: white paper

Contents

Glossary of acronyms 2

Authors 3

Executive summary 5

Introduction 9

Methods 9

Communication & collaboration with citizens 11

Improve communication 11

Social Media 11

Regular updates 11

Social edits and using visual 11

Open policymaking 12

Engagement in the issues that young people are already involved with 12

Ability to present issues directly to EU institutions 12

Political Representation 13

Improved accountability and reduction of cost of MEPs 13

Improved interaction 13

Reduction of costs of MEPs and the European civil service 13

Localised political representatives 14

Equal citizen representation 14

A more representative European Parliament 15

Enfranchisement 17

Enfranchisement of 16 year olds 17

Education & opportunities 19

Education 19

Understanding who our representatives are 19

Peer-to-peer learning 19

Education in Schools 19

Directly by the European Parliament 21

Job opportunities & work experience 21

Work experience 21

Policy issues 23

Post referendum flexibility 23

Universal European Welfare 23

Employment 23

Conclusions 27

Acknowledgements 28

Individuals 28

Participating Schools 28

1

2 Talking to the EU: white paper

Glossary of acronyms

AS level Advanced Subsidiary level (UK educational qualification)

CV Curriculum Vitae / Résumé

EU European Union

GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education (UK educational qualification)

IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union

LREs Local Representatives for Europe

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

MEP Member of the European Parliament

MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly

MP Member of the UK Parliament

NGO Non-Governmental Organisation

UK United Kingdom

UN United Nations

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Authors

The authors of this white paper are all young people from the UK, aged between 11 and 25 years of age. They have taken part online and offline, to create a comprehensive manifesto for youth engagement.

Khalil Abdul-LatifEnea AgolliLeonie BeestoneIman BenazhaBeth Brookes-LamdinJeromy ChewShakil ChowdhurySophie ClixbyJames CruzEve DevangSophy Dix PerkinDolapo OkunugaAlan DowieChristopher James DyEmily EvansDaniella FergusonHannah ForkerUrte JanuskaiteJamie JonesMaddie LiverScott MooreRebka MuciqiDarian OkakpuZak PearceAnna Pitts-tuckerMalavi RajakumaranBeth RobertsonJodie RoftGeorge StowJulian ValdezDaniel WalkerJack WelchDavid Wilkinson

The team at the Democratic Society have added some content to connect and explain arguments, bring in relevant information, and make recommendations for action. These additions are clearly marked with [however we mark them]. We have also made minor grammatical edits so submissions during the editing processes, but there have been no changes to meaning.


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Executive summary

The young people who acted as authors and participants on this white paper were keen to see improved communication between the European Parliament and young citizens. Social media was raised as an important way to engage young people with the European Parliament. The European Parliament is already using social media for engagement, but it may be the case that these initiatives are not reaching the target audience; there is, therefore, a need to consider how the European Parliament might develop current strategies further.

Using ‘calls to engagement’ could encourage young people to realise that they are valued and to see a purpose in engaging with the European Parliament. Additionally, focusing on clear, concise and easily shared contents, such as images and videos, could also help.

Our participants were unaware of the regular updates provided by the European Parliament; finding new ways to disseminate this information – including updates specifically targeted at young people, such as youth initiatives – could potentially increase awareness of these vital resources.

Participants were keen to take part in policymaking processes, through activities such as this one, where they can feel involved and engaged in the work of the EU institutions. They were also keen to be included in discussions about the topics they already hold and interest and expertise in. Working through pre-existing youth groups and educational institutions, it should be possible to reach young people on their own terms on the subjects they feel most competent in contributing to. Another way our authors wished to become involved was through directly presenting the issues directly at conferences and events, including those events designed not only for young people, but the broader spectrum of experts and stakeholders.

Participants wanted improved interaction with MEPs, and feel that they are not accessible enough, either in their constituent


communities or in schools and colleges. Whilst time and geographical restraints make it difficult for MEPs to be visible across their entire constituencies, it maybe possible to improve perception by bringing together schools to meet with their MEPs. We also believe that an organised production of resources for MEPs to use to speak directly with their constituents and encouragement from the European Parliament may help improve their relationship with younger citizens.

Potentially linked to the visibility of MEPs was a feeling that they are not representative of constituents. Our authors believed that this trend manifested in two different ways, the first being that the way that MEPs are balanced across members states is seemingly unfair, or illogical, and the second that there needs to be an additional layer of local representation through which people can speak directly to the EU or through the MEPs. The solution may well be achieved through greater visibility of existing MEPs combined with a greater degree of clear and concise information about how the number of MEPs provided to each member state is calculated. Improving channels of communication, so that the young people feel they can make themselves heard, it another clear area for future work.

Participants also felt that there were too few MEPs who represented them directly, as the age of representatives was always within older groups. Younger people need to be encouraged to enter EU politics, through better support networks and information provided at ground level, by the European Parliament.

Education is absolutely central to this report – and the largest share of discussion among participants was dedicated to improving education about the EU. The suggestions took many forms, through compulsory education in schools, through educational tools created |directly by the European Parliament, for citizens, and encouraging peer-to-peer learning by supporting those who already have an interest in the European Union and can share their insight and enthusiasm. The participants also suggested work experience for under-18s at the European Parliament. Potentially, this could be linked to the compulsory work-experience undertaken during school. Additionally, participants suggested an enfranchisement of 16 and 17 year olds, linked to compulsory political education in schools.

7Executive summary

What was evident was the fact that young people have the same concerns and interests as older voters. While they wish for greater education and improved opportunities to learn and become involved in the work of the European Parliament, they also care about the same policy issues as older people, such as: a concern over the cost of MEPs; a concern about the cost and efficacy of European institutions; the future of the UK if we leave the EU post-referendum, and broader topics such as job opportunities and the creation of a Universal European Welfare.

Young people have specific needs and seek specific opportunities to become involved in the EU. They are the future citizenship of the European Union, and as such have the same concerns and hopes from the EU as any citizen. Engaging people when they are young creates a potential for a more informed, engaged and hopeful electorate for the future.


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Introduction

Talking to EU is a European Parliament project conducted as part of the UK’s Parliament Week1.

Parliament Week is a weeklong series of educational events that seeks to familiarise UK citizens with parliamentary democracy. These events are coordinated by the Houses of Parliament, but are carried out by many different organisations throughout the UK.

The European Parliament in the UK ran a series of events during UK Parliament Week, taking the opportunity to talk about both UK and EU Parliamentary democracy, in order to build bridges between UK citizens and the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg.

This project was run jointly between the European Parliament and the Democratic Society, and was intended to help connect young people with, and educate them about, the EU’s Parliamentary democracy. This paper was written primarily with the contributions of young people aged between 11-25. It directly reflects their views and opinions.

The EU is the second biggest democracy in the world, with 400 million EU citizens eligible to vote. Despite this, only 34.19% of eligible voters in the UK voted. This low turnout suggests a lack of engagement with the European Parliament.

Although demographic information about UK voters in European elections isn’t available, we know that younger voters in the UK are generally less likely to vote2. This undermines their right to be represented by governments that reflects their views and will respond to their needs.

Many Government institutions, political parties, and NGOs have carried out work attempting to identify why young people are not voting and why they feel disenfranchised, seeking to identify ways that they could be engaged with the democratic process.

However, these methods are largely researched and designed by older groups with minimal consultation with young people themselves.

Through this project, we heard directly from young citizens to how they want to be engaged, on their own terms, as well as what topics they wish to be

engaged on. All participants are named as official authors.

Methods

During the UK’s 2014 Parliament Week (14th-20th November) we launched Talking to EU at Europe House, the European Parliament’s base in London, encouraging 6th formers to promote the opportunity to their schools and their peers.

We also launched an online discussion space, where they could share their views and debate the best ways for the European Parliament to make improvements in its participation arrangements and what those improvements should be. The online tool was hosted on www.demsoc.org and linked to, and from the European Parliament’s UK website www.europarl.org.uk.

The online space modelled democracy to young people by removing barriers to participation such as place, expense and time commitment, thereby enabling young people from across the UK to be part of the democratic process. We promoted the opportunity to engage with the development3 of the White Paper through our own networks and those of the European Parliament in London, with the support of London based communication organisation Verbalisation4.

The project was branded as a European Parliament for the UK’s Parliament Week, in order to promote the European Parliament among young people.

What follows are the submissions, proposed by young people themselves, about how the European Parliament could better engage young people.

1 14 – 20 November 2014

2 2001 General election: under 25s: 40.4% turnout; overall: 59.4%. 2005 General election: under 25s: 38.2% turnout; overall: 61.3%. 2010 General election: under 25s: 51.8% turnout; overall: 65%. http://bit.ly/1AgEFSD

3 Full details in Talking to EU project report

4 Verbalisation is a verbal engineering consultancy based in London. They work with commercial brands as well as Prime Ministers and Governments. http://www.verbalisation.com


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Communication & collaboration with citizensImprove communication

Social Media

The EU can better reach out to people like me through social media, of which the youth today prefer using in order to get their news and the happenings of today. As a youth myself I prefer social media and hence the EU can take that into further consideration.

Media especially would help, particularly social media and programmes that are of interest to young people. (See below)

I feel that if young people are able to utilise the powers of social media more then it could be a great aid to participation. Campaigns on Twitter and Facebook spread very quickly and are an excellent way to get a message across, particularly to young people who tend to make up the majority of social networking site users (72% of Facebook users are under 34). Social media also present politics with a more enjoyable and accessible side, that can be shown to young people and increase participation levels.

Participants in Talking to EU raised social media as an easy way to engage them.

However, the European Parliament has a social media presence and regularly updates citizens on what they’re doing. So what’s going wrong?

The right content (informative but not overwhelming with information) is the more likely to spread than other messaging. The young people who participated in this project, though clearly interested in European issues, did not have an impression that the European Parliament was engaging with them on social media. The European Parliament should focus on creating content that increases engagement, as well as awareness: accessible and informative content can provide young people with an understanding of the European Parliament’s work and can encourage sharing.

Although the European Parliament will naturally want to broadcast specific events, communication and projects, it is possible to make this feel more relevant to young people by using ‘calls to action’.

This would mean that every time the European Parliament shares information, there should be a clear, related ‘call to action’, i.e. connecting them with an opportunity for young people to become involved in a way that related to that topic. This link should be made even if they that information and link have been previously shared in a different post. These calls to action could be about anything: attending an event; registering for involvement in a project; seeking funding or even simply watching an information video. The key point is that the citizen is being offered an opportunity to do something and be an active participant.

Social media is clearly seen as an important tool by both young people and the European Parliament; it can occasionally be seen as a golden bullet to engagement. Organisations sometimes think that they can easily tap into pre-existing networks and conversations to build relationships with citizens. While we believe that social media can be used to engage people, it is not a single solution that will solve all youth engagement problems.

Regular updates

I believe one way in which the EU Parliament can be vastly improved is by improving the communication between Parliament and the public through regular updates and reports on EU Parliamentary activity. I believe it is vital for those that are affected to be made aware of the progress of bills that are currently being put through Parliament.

The European Parliament already provides regular updates about what they are doing, but this information isn’t necessarily being accessed by young people – and some work will need to be done about how this is disseminated, what avenues of communication to use to reach young people, and how this can be presented in a way that is not overwhelming. It may be worth looking at creating a specific set of updates/timetable that focused specifically on issues affecting young people.

Social edits and using visual

Use social edit [picking out and signposting


specific highlights] and everyday visual aspects to bring awareness to the youth – more people will likely vote.

Images can be used as a simple way to engage people, spread information and create approachable and easily understood content that citizens want to share. EU Climate Action is an excellent example that should be imitated in this by creating simple, sharable visuals with a strong, short written statement superimposed over the top and that link through to more information, rather than creating posts that contain all the information straight away and are less visually appealing. An infographic that contains a lot of information or text is less successful than a single striking image with a strong statement.

Open policymaking

I believe the European Parliament can be improved through successfully engaging audiences and motivating them to vote. The people’s voice, in my opinion, is the most powerful tool available to governmental bodies in the formulation and passing of policies. Hence, the European Parliament can improve through engaging their target audience to be more motivated to participate and vote in Parliament.

Making policy in an open way is very different way of making policy. It is about including the wisdom of those outside government right through the process. The European Parliament cannot go in to an open policymaking process alone; it needs to be part of a broader culture change throughout the European institutions. However, piloting an open policymaking project (like Talking to EU) is a positive start, and shows the vital role that Parliament can make into involving citizen voice. Focusing on specific under-represented groups, like young people, has clear benefits in building relationships, accountability and trust within those groups.

Engagement in the issues that young people are already involved with

Foreign policy has always been my passion, I’m engaged with the United Nations in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and I’d like to be more

engaged on my favourite field, such as the International Relations.

Media especially would help, particularly social media and programmes that are of interest to young people. (See above)

Success in understanding young people’s issues will come down to clear network mapping, finding organisations and institutions that already engage young people on specific topics, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as mapping interests and stakeholders through social media monitoring to find active citizens. The European Parliament could then contact a wider audience through these networks in order to crowd-source ideas and stimulate engagement.

This has the potential to make young people feel like they are being listened to, as well as engaged on their own terms in environments where they are already comfortable and in control.

Ability to present issues directly to EU institutions

As a young person I see broad representation as a big issue within politics. I believe that it would be extremely beneficial if, during EU conferences, a variety of people were able to speak directly to the Parliament and raise issues, similar to the UN. Through doing this, lots more issues could be raised that may otherwise not be addressed. Through doing this, more people would be inclined to become educated in EU topics.

This suggestion would take minimal effort, by contacting the networks mentioned above, it would be possible to invite youth activists and interested parties to present directly at conferences and events – not simply holding youth conferences. This will allow their voices to be heard by the institution, as well as the related sectors, at every level. Young people who are invited to speak at such events can also act as multipliers, engaging their networks with the European Parliament, making them feel heard and enfranchised.

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Political Representation

Improved accountability and reduction of cost of MEPs

Improved interaction

In our increasingly globalised world, it is crucial that the people are involved in politics. However, although the EU is a tool for participation, the interaction MEPs have with EU citizens (particularly in the UK) is very little. There needs to be more communication from MEPs to UK citizens in order to encourage participation, and therefore further increase the legitimacy of the institution.

Another way for the European Parliament to work towards a better representation for its young people, is to get the MEPs who represent the UK to come to schools, hold assemblies or use social media, which gives us young people a chance to express our views and ideas and for them to be actually heard. This will show us that you do care about the younger generation, which will inevitably take over in the future. If we feel that we are given the opportunity to use our voices and share our ideas, then you as representatives will gain wider knowledge of the UK’s young people’s opinions. This will allow you to work better to engage with us and listen to what we have to say.

One of the main reasons for lack of engagement among young people is a simple lack of education and understanding. Personally, I feel that this can partly be blamed on the MEPs themselves. If they were to become more active – actually visiting schools and young people in their constituencies –then it would be a really good first step on the path to engaging young people. It would also educate young people as to why voting, and voting for MEPs, is important and that their voice really does count. At the moment I feel that MEPs, certainly in my constituency, haven’t engaged at all with the youth and if they were to make this effort it would have a really positive impact as far as participation is concerned.

Participants felt that there was not enough direct interaction with MEPs at a local level and that this makes it difficult for people to feel they have a relationship with them. Suggestions were made that MEPs may need to visit schools to explain their role in the European Union framework and how they

represent constituency views. However, some MEPs do already occasionally visit local constituent schools, but only those young people at the specific school will be aware of this and feel adequately engaged.

We know that MEPs have a limited amount of time in their constituencies, usually a single day a week and that visiting all their local schools would be extremely difficult logistically – in Scotland, where only 6 MEPs represent the entire of the region, it would be impossible. So, as there are limited numbers with limited time available, the matter of MEP interaction with citizens will need to be carefully thought out, potentially with many local schools coming together for a single event with an MEP present.

I am an active participant in politics. I attend many political party events, speeches and fundraisers. My name is known by a few MPs, and vice-versa. But who my MEP is, what they do, and how I’m supposed to get some representation from them, is a mystery. I am in no doubt there is some way to find out, but it is neither public nor easy. My local MP campaigns, raises awareness, and engages in the democratic process. I have never seen the face of my MEP on any newsletter or newspaper and I don’t know where their office is. Of course, I am engaged, so I can, but most people wouldn’t know where to start. The European Parliament is distant, alien and deeply unaccountable, and therefore not conducive to a healthy democratic atmosphere.

There is no regular official communication from MEPs to constituents – and whilst local MPs and Councillors have regular surgeries and newsletters MEPs tend not to. The introduction of a standard template and guidance around offline constituency communication may help new, or even seasoned, MEPs to build relationships locally.

Reduction of costs of MEPs and the European civil service

The EU is run by highly paid bureaucrats, whilst most Europeans, from Latvia to Britain, are living in relative levels of austerity and/or poverty imposed on them by said bureaucrats, and our national government.


The salary and expenses of an MEP can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe- 11725041 but here’s a summary:

• Monthly payment €7,957• Office expenses: €4,299• Air business class/Rail first class to Brussels/ Strasbourg: full reimbursement• Official trips to other destinations €4,243 + 24 return journeys in home country per annum• Daily subsistence allowance in parliamentary sessions: €304

The basic salary is therefore €95,484 per year, with the prospect of €51,588 for office expenses, and €15,200 for subsistence based on 50 parliamentary sessions. This is potentially €162,272 per year for every MEP. There are 766 MEPS. That’s €124 million out of the EU budget before any work is even done.

Recently the EU has made significant cuts in its budget, but it is not enough. The cost of its civil service has gone up, thanks mostly to the costs of final salary pensions for MEPs.

European youth is having our lifeblood drained out of us by the over-paid civil servants of our governments. But, this has always been the case. The difference now is that the government seldom work in our best interests, and instead are in bed with corporations that only want our money. With the staggering costs of housing, living, and energy, I have no choice but to accept that I may never be able to own my own home, least of all in areas such as London.

I stand by David Cameron’s’ efforts to cut spending in the EU.

Evidently, concerns about financial waste in the EU institutions exist within younger groups as well as the broader public. Clear descriptions of the financial spending of the EU and transparency around individual MEP expenditure may help, but there will also be an element of ideology at play – as well as generally hostile and sceptical media coverage. This is a broader question about UK attitudes to the EU and is not easy to solve. However, this does show that younger groups have the same concerns as older groups and should not be treated as a totally distinct audience.

Localised political representatives

I believe we should set up a new body to find nominations and hold elections for LREs, Local Representatives for Europe.

One LRE would be elected for each constituency of a country’s national parliament, though exceptions may be made to improve representation in some areas. LREs would be tasked with representing the views of local people and working with MEPs to ensure they are properly represented.

Part of the current problem with the EU is that while it does have a democratically elected organ, the European Parliament, there are very few MEPs elected relative to the population in most areas. Here in Northern Ireland, we elect 18 MPs for Westminster, 108 members of our regional assembly, and 462 local councillors. It’s easy to have a word with your local councillor or MLA, and finding an MP is slightly more effort, but there are only 3 MEPs for the whole of Northern Ireland, and they seem like very distant people indeed. Let me remind you that Northern Ireland is a very politically divided country, and it is difficult to represent that in the European Parliament when we only send 3 MEPs.

When people have an issue with bin collection, or school buses, they know they can go to their Councillor. When they have an issue with education, the budget, the environment, or health, they can have a word with their MLA. If they have an issue with international development, foreign policy, or the army, they can talk to their MP. But on issues, which affect the whole continent, this thought process does not exist.

I believe LREs could be the missing link between ordinary people and our representatives in the European Parliament. If deployed, they could raise confidence in the future of European democracy and show to the people that it can work, and the EU isn’t just some opaque bureaucracy.

15Political Representation

Equal citizen representation

There should be a set number of people represented by each MEP. It is unfair that larger countries (population) are disadvantaged with large constituencies since as an individual it is hard to lobby them with issues we wish to be involved or have influenced. The argument that they are big enough and have enough influence is not valid since they still are representing a specific proportion of their population.

I do not think the wealthier/geographically bigger countries should necessarily have more representatives but only those with bigger populations that are therefore able to directly represent individuals in these smaller constituencies.

The matter of distribution of MEPs across member states is an important topic, with the number of MEPs for each region dictating the relative sway of each. The current system for distribution is not well understood, and many citizens feel confused by the composition of the European Parliament, clear guidance about how distribution is calculated may simply need greater dissemination. However, if redistribution were to happen, it would have to be part of a new constitutional arrangement. Broad talks would need to be undertaken, with member states, as well as citizens. The participants were not decided on how MEPs should be distributed if the current system were to be changed, and it is likely that differing perspectives would be replicated in broader consultation.

A more representative European Parliament

Youth must be represented in politics. In Belfast the youngest Lord Mayor was 25 years old, and they have a record of youth representation in parliament. Whilst individuals in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s have a wealth of experience that is unparalleled by any of my generation, I wonder how decades of receiving, on average, 3-4 times more (and 100+ times more than me) than the average citizen have affected their perspective? Surely, the people that live by the choices made are in a better position to represent us in politics than overpaid bureaucrats.

Currently in the European Parliament, just over one third of the MEPs are women and the youngest MEP is 27 years old, and I do not think it would be presumptuous to say that many of the people who are supposed to represent us in the European Parliament have a relatively limited knowledge of how young people really think and what their views on certain issues are, despite what they believe they know. Using the UK as an example, 52% of our population is women, and so in this case it is obviously clear that having just over one third of MEPs being women means that they in general are not being represented fully in the European Parliament. A more prominent issue however, is how to involve young people in politics, and to ensure that we as a group have a full awareness of how our own countries are governed, and on a broader level how the European Parliament operates and represents us in Europe.

Bringing young people in to politics is often difficult and the first IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians was held in 2014. Much of their conclusions about bringing younger people (in the case of the IPU this includes anyone under 45) in to politics focused on political education through schools and on regularly presenting young parliamentarians to the public to encourage others. To read more of their report please visit www.ipu.org/splz-e/youngMP14/report.pdf.


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Enfranchisement

Enfranchisement of 16 year olds

Consider lowering the voting age!!

The younger generations feel out of touch with the EU, we generally don’t know what the EU is doing and what the pact is. Political participation would be increased and a greater connection between the EU and younger generations would be created, if 16 year olds were able to vote for MEP’s as it gives us a reason to get involved. Denying 16+17 yr. olds from voting isolates them from politics at an age when they’re likely to start becoming interested in the governance of our country.

One suggestion that continues to appear time and time again is whether or not the voting age should be lowered to 16, as Austria have done. We have seen successful results of this in the recent Scottish Independence referendum here in the UK, where the voting age was in fact lowered and turnout reached a record high of 82%. However, it is all very well to say that lowering the voting age will automatically increase participation as the number of people who are represented has increased, yet once the novelty of being able to vote has worn off, we will begin to panic as to who to vote for and what they will actually do once they are in power. If we reach no conclusion to these questions, then many young people would abstain from voting, which would virtually negate the point of having lowered the voting age in the first place – this where the education of our young people is paramount. The European Union as a whole need to ensure that their aims and what they do for each individual member state and its citizens is widely publicised in schools so that when young people do come to vote, they know who and what they are voting for.

During the course of the Talking to EU launch there was clear discussion and division existing between those who would lower the voting age and those who feel that younger citizens may not have the experience they need to make informed electoral choices. However, where citizens have all the responsibilities of citizenship, there is an argument to be made that they should also have the rights that go along with them.

Additionally, lowing the voting age to 16 and introducing pre-election European level civics classes for all eligible students could potentially introduce a wholly new, informed electorate in to the democratic citizens, in a way impossible with older citizens.

Potentially, enfranchising younger citizens could provide an excellent opportunity to change the culture of voting.


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Education & opportunities

Education

Understanding who our representatives are

When asking my peers who they thought our MEP was in my constituency not one person gave me the correct response. This is one of the main problems that lead to lack of engagement for young people in politics, particularly in EU related politics. If young people aren’t voting in the elections for MEPs it means that they have no real representation in Europe, this is arguably undemocratic and puts young people at a disadvantage. The youth need to understand that voting and getting involved will impact them and the power lies with them to make a difference.

Peer-to-peer learning

Another one of the best ways that the issue of lack of participation can start to be resolved I believe actually lies in the hands of students who are politically aware or are perhaps politics students themselves. This was young people can here information directly from their peers which is bound to maybe even have a greater effect that being told by an adult to get more involved. In my experience young people tend to be more influenced by their contemporaries so as politics students, or politically aware young people it is important that we actually take the initiative ourselves to help get our peers involved too and to spread the message of participation.

Whilst the Parliamentary Groups and national political parties themselves could do much, guidance provided by the European Parliament and an initiative to encourage them to speak to young people directly, either in schools or through targeted social media campaigns may help. It would also be appropriate to provide specific learning materials about local MEPs to schools, colleges and youth groups, encouraging young people to become aware of their political representatives.

Young people are the best placed individuals to speak to young people, and those who are actively engaged with the process should be utilised to spread understanding and information about the European Parliament, as well as other institutions.

By identifying and empowering young people who are engaged to become ambassadors for the European Parliament either within their schools or communities, the European Parliament could take advantage of their networks whilst also building strong relationships with those young people and empowering them to create lasting change in engagement.

Again, network mapping and engagement with existing organisations would be invaluable to this work and a relatively small amount of investment could go far to increasing participation.

Education in Schools

How the EU can get younger influence? By teaching it in schools

I would imagine teaching it at GSCE during compulsory education would be most effective as they could have a day trip, or an EU day where they learn about the role the EU has

Education ion the EU in schools. Encouraging young people to become more active and involved with European parliament

Currently, links between the European Parliament and young people across the country is very limited. There are many ways to correct this, one being education. Education allows people to be open to the wider world and engage with current affairs. One way how this can be achieved is by educating children at a younger age about Politics and how Governments work and their purpose in order to reduce the voting age down to 16. At the moment I believe the age for voting should not be reduced to 16 due to the fact that many 16 year olds are not aware of the meaning of votes and their role in our lives, which can be unbeneficial in the long run. However, this can be changed if more people are aware of what they are voting for and it suits them best. This can be achieved by making it a compulsory part of the national curriculum to teach under-16s what Politics is about and how it affects everyone. Teaching Politics should be interactive rather than the typical ‘pen and paper’ as Political views should not be written down, instead


performed. Another reason why I believe Politics should be taught at a younger age is due to the increasing influence from the media. The media is a biased source of information that do not portray the accurate picture, this easily influences many teens into certain decisions. As Politics is a subject offered at A Level (not by every school/college) only a small amount of people are being educated to the subject only because they see a potential career, Yet it would be wiser to teach all children from the start of secondary school as it will improve political participation and the next generation will have a better understanding.

I think that it would be very useful for young people, especially teenagers, to be educated on the EU, so that we know what the benefits are for our country, and us as individuals. Seeing as we are eligible to vote when we are 18, and given that fact that there is deliberation over whether 16 and 17 year olds should be able to vote, I think that it is very important that we have more lectures and compulsory lessons on the EU. With the emergence and growing power of UKIP, and the fact that it is looking likely that the UK will enter another coalition in 2015 (which may or may not directly involve UKIP), it is very important that we know what we are voting for, and how it will affect us both long and short term.

A way for the European Parliament to engage more effectively with young people is to find a way to educate us about what is happening and what the European Union stands for in schools. I say this because at the moment in most schools, an opportunity to study Government & Politics usually starts at AS level, with the exception of a small minority of schools who offer it at GCSE level. This is not good enough, for young people to gain an incentive about participating in what is happening in European and UK politics, we need to be introduced to it at an earlier stage, starting from the age of 11. This will then allow young people to get a clear understanding of the European Parliament, which will in turn allow us to confidently participate in elections, discussions and debates on the topic. If we are educated about the matter at an earlier stage, we are definitely more likely to broaden our knowledge about the EU, so by the time we are able to vote at 18 we will be more inclined

to vote as we have a higher understanding, increasing the turn-out.

Campaign to get the EU included on the AS syllabus – national day in schools to dedicate to government and politics + D18

Come into schools/colleges and inform young people about what you do and your role. I did not know the importance of the EU and the purpose it served.

Reaching out to schools

My initial idea of “by teaching it in schools” was derived from the compulsory education system, the system in which I have partaken, where schools aim for all their students to finish year 11 with at least five A*s to Cs in their respective GCSEs or GCSE equivalent.

Following on from this, I feel the most effective way of getting a larger, younger influence is to make learning about the EU a compulsory part of student’s education. This would mean that students would need to learn about the EU, as well as the Impact the EU has on them and their impact on EU. It would be positive if the EU lessons were integrated into the curriculum during the GCSEs period – as students are close to the voting age and still in structured compulsory education. Furthermore, the voting age may be subject to change in future years, this could mean that 16 year olds would be able to vote during their GCSE period.

Local schools endorsing the idea of teaching about the EU, and EU lesson to become part of the national curriculum within the UK, could lead to the UK paving the way for integrating younger peoples influence into the EU. I believe this would lead to a larger influence, as it would result in younger people knowing how they can participate, as well as feeling the incentive to participate because it has a direct effect on them. Therefore they would want to participate and make their voices heard among the millions of other voices that are within the EU.

This was the topic that promoted the most discussion. The suggestions made ranged from the European Parliament coming in to schools for EU education days, to campaigning to introduce the

21Education & opportunities

EU as part of national syllabuses in member states. This of course is wholly for the member states, however, there are organisations already carrying out educational activity about the EU in schools, for example Team Global in the UK, who could be supported to carry out increased activity, or in carrying out coordinated events across the UK through school networks. Evidently, EU education through schools has proved an incredibly attractive proposition to the young people participating in this project. Some of the initiatives suggested could be carried out through direct conversations with schools and activity carried out by the European Parliament directly of through third parties such as NGOs. However, some of the suggestion would require a great deal of conversation and agreement with member state Government, which would be more difficult to accomplish.

There was also a feeling that this could give the UK the opportunity to pave the way for broader youth engagement across the EU, acting as a leader for change.

Directly by the European Parliament

This is not just important for young people, but for the whole of society. Only 34.19% of people eligible to vote in the European Parliamentary Elections exercised this right, mainly because they had little knowledge of whom they were voting for and what they would do once in power. The functions of the European Parliament need to be made clearer as a whole, so that the entire population of each member state will be compelled to vote, and the onus is on the EU itself to ensure that this happens and that people are being represented and engaged. Apart from just advertising ways in which one can vote or exercise their democratic rights, perhaps it is possible to educate youths on their benefits if they were to vote. Also, to emphasize or highlight how their vote has benefitted them already, so they will be more encouraged to do so.

Make young people more aware about the work the European Parliament does. Build closer links with UK Government

The feeling of some participants was that education about the EU is important beyond the classroom and beyond young people and that the European Parliament needs to reach out directly to explain what the function of the European Parliament and other institutions are and what impact it can have on individual citizens’ lives.

Participants also suggested that speaking to young people about specific policy areas and legislation, and how it impacts young people would be useful. Approaching specific demographics about how individual legislation can affect them will help citizens to see the relevance of the European Parliament on them in real terms.

Job opportunities & work experience

Work experience

Being a politics student, I can say that I am regularly engaged with the study of the EU. It amazes me how the European Parliament carries out such important functions within the EU. It is also becoming increasingly powerful through the ratification of such treaties like the Maastricht and Lisbon treaties, which granted the European Parliament more use of co-decision (together with the Council Ministers). The interests of studying the EU should be explored through pursuing work experience. Work experience is beneficial in encouraging young people of today to engage with the realities of the European Parliament, to explore the everyday activities that take place.

Sitting in my class and studying the significant roles within the European union inspires me deeply. It broadens my choice of career paths and encourages me to look at the prospect of working around the European Union (e.g. perhaps as a commissioner.) The thing is, in order to experience the reality of it, its essential to have the opportunity to experience it in action. If I want to experience how it feels to be an MP, I can gain work experience at the House of Commons. However if I aspire to be a European Commissioner, or even a high


representative for foreign affairs, it would be useful to obtain some kind of work experience. Work experience around the EU should be more accessible within each country. In the UK becoming a politician shouldn’t just be based on working in the Houses of Parliament, instead one should also say they want to become a European Union Politician.

One suggestion raised by a few participants was the introduction of a young persons’ work experience programme at the European Parliament. Whilst this actually currently already exists through the traineeships at the European Parliament, these are only open to those over 18 years of age and are often based in Brussels (http://www.europarl.org.uk/en/office_edinburgh/traineeships.html). It would be possible for the European Parliament to tie this into the work experience week that young people are asked to undertake at school level – providing them with an outstanding opportunity to see the relevance of the European Parliament first hand.

As many young people will be under 18 it will be useful to carry this out at member state level, rather than in Brussels or Strasbourg. Participants also appeared to be unaware of the traineeship programme, so it may be useful to advertise the current system through schools and colleges.

It would be an experience that could potentially lead more citizens into working in and with the EU institutions later – as there is an underrepresentation of British citizens working in the EU civil service. It could also encourage young people to become involved as candidate EU politicians, potentially improving representation.

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Policy issues

Although we largely didn’t include policy issues within this document, there were three that stuck out as being genuinely central to encouraging and engaging young people, or around concepts of European Citizenship that we felt we wanted to include, they are:

Post referendum flexibility

I think that it is likely Britain may leave the EU, although I personally don’t agree with this. If Britain left would they be able to return if the plans put in place for our “independence” went wrong? I believe that things will get worse for Britain if they left the EU and was wondering if there would be a potential quick route back into the EU. I would hope they would be and not punished by the EU.

Universal European Welfare

Although perhaps politically toxic in the present climate, the creation of a pan-European universal benefits system would shut down the dangerous and divisive notional lie of ‘benefits tourism’. It would allow Europeans to refocus on the real issues that are facing the continent (which is admittedly suffering, although not because of unrestricted immigration) and create a need for more proper discussion on institutional accountability – opening the door to full democracy in the EU. It would serve as a catalyst for change.

Employment

For the UK, we have excellent initiatives like Youth Employment UK, where young people campaign and lobby on behalf on the issues of quality employment and building trust between employers and young employees. What seems to be lacking is a coherent narrative from government representatives we speak to and a joint effort to tackle the issues at hand across departments and tackle the stagnant numbers finding employment, so that we may be on an even field with other successful age groups.

We need bodies like the European Commission to press with their plans to tackle youth unemployment and provide the method in which the British

government can effectively address how some of these difficulties can be resolved.

See http://www.yeuk.org.uk/ for more information.

The availability of jobs for certain fields are high in number, yet the economic benefits of these careers remains undoubtedly asinine. An intellectual job such as journalism (which remains a significant media outlet) requires mental stimulation and various analytical qualities yet the financial benefit of pursuing these paths remain unequal in regards to effort and the salary etc.

I am angered that young adults under 16 are unable to find jobs and become employed as I am 15 years old and have tried to gain employment for over 2 years now and still with no luck. I currently work voluntarily at RSPB Saltholme and, as it suggests, I do not get paid. I have the passion to work for a wage and I know that many other people are in the same boat as me. There is no legal minimum wage that under 16 year old can earn so even if I were to gain a job the wage could be heartbreaking for the time and effort that I put into gaining the job and actually doing the job. If under 16 year olds could earn a wage then the amount of teenagers that are left bored, resulting to being on the streets and causing problems would decrease dramatically and they will be ready for the future as they may have the same job for years to come and this would look great on a CV. This would also give them experience for the future and would prove to employers that you are willing to work. This along with your GCSE’s would be more appealing to employers as you would already know the basics of being in a job.

All the jobs websites that currently exist are aimed at people who are 16 years or older and not at people my age. The government needs to set up a website that caters for everyone who would like to work. This way, people my age would be able to find a job to start them off on their career journey through life.

Currently at my voluntary job, I have learnt the basics of running a business and serving customers and preparing food that meets requirements. I have the knowledge to pass my food safety and health and hygiene courses at the workplace and this will


help me in future life when I will actually so the certificate. Also, at college I will be studying Professional cookery at Middleborough College and with my knowledge from working as Saltholme I will excel and become a loyal and committed student. If a wage as introduced by government it will persuade people my age get a non-voluntary job, as currently there is a shocking situation where many people are out of work. Each and every one of them would have loved the chance to work at a younger age so that they could have a higher chance of being in a full time job.

Finally I would like to add that the most important part of Secondary school has been lightly used, Work Experience. I, and many others, agree that work experience should be part of the curriculum in Y11 as this is also vital for understanding how a working environment is like compared to school. This is really important because people who I know are scared of being in a working environment and work experience will help then overcome this.

Work experience will:

• Help you experience the world of work.

• Develop skills, knowledge and confidence for adult life.

• Set learning objectives for the future.

• Make you appreciate the relevance of what you learn at school/college.

• Show you how skills learned in schools can be applied in a real work situation.

• Widen your awareness of career opportunities available in our organisation and the community.

• Decide what kind of work you might choose when you leave school (or what you don’t want to do!).

• Develop interpersonal and social skills to broaden your contact with a range of adults as colleagues.

• Give you an opportunity to learn different aspects of your desired career.

• Ensure participant continuity in an environment where health, safety and welfare are promoted.

• Be a useful feature to include on your CV when applying for jobs after leaving school.

The aim of Work Experience is:

To provide an introduction to work habits, such as attendance requirements and working conditions as well as providing basic communication skills. Participants and young people should not be used to replace permanent staff. Every effort should be made to provide a structured course of experience which will assist participants to obtain future employment.

Work experience provides many benefits; giving you skills and experience that will allow you stand out to potential employers as well as helping you choose the right sector to work in.

Having a degree is a tremendous asset to help put your name on the radar for potential employers, but it’s by far not the only arrow in the quiver. Work experience locks in further potential, “building useful skills that cannot be taught in the classroom as well as contacts that students otherwise would not be exposed to,” highlights Pamela Maynard, general manager, Avanade UK. “A perspective employer will always looks favorable on the effort taken by those who have done work experience, which empowers new talent and gives them an edge to push for the most sought after graduate positions in the field.”

Below are just a few examples of the way you can benefit from undertaking work experience and work placements. Whether you’re doing a weeklong stint or a year in industry you’ll be gaining skills that will make you much more employable.

Soft skills

Work experience equips you with certain soft skills such as team working, communication skills and commercial awareness, all of which are sought after by employers, especially at a graduate level.

25Policy issues

Differentiate yourself and make yourself more employable

Work experience also helps you to differentiate yourself, an important thing to factor in when competition for jobs is so fierce.

“It is essential to differentiate yourself,” says Carole Teacher, Mott MacDonald’s learning and development manager. “A willingness to work rather than have a good time shows diligence. Graduates these days need to have work ready skills from their first day, such as deadline management, phone and email etiquette and the ability to work well with a variety of ages in a team.”

“Employers value competitive advantage and that’s what work experience gives you,” adds Andy Airey, chief executive of the Inspiring Futures Foundation. “If you take two graduates with equally good qualifications and personal attributes; one has gained work experience and the other has none, it is likely that the job will go to the person who has shown initiative and gained experience. There is anecdotal evidence that employers look more favorably on candidates who have gained a basic understanding of their business sector and know what it’s like to be in a work environment.”

Enhance your application forms and interviews

Work experience also equips you with knowledge that will enhance your job applications and particularly your interviews. Because you’ve gained a better understanding of the sector you want to go into, you’ll be able to talk more authoritatively and ask questions that resonate with the employer.

Road test a company/sector/role

One of the great things about gaining work experience as a student is that it gives you the chance to try things out to see if they suit you. Want to find out what a company is actually like to work for, or what doing a certain job is like? Well work experience gives you the chance to experience this – for a week, a fortnight, a summer or even a year.

“It can crystallize your mind about your career choice, either confirming that you are making exactly the right choice, or change your mind. If the latter happens, you should view this positively as you can re-direct your energy into an area you find more stimulating,” notes Airey.

The possibility of leading to full-time job offers

Some long-term internships can lead to full-time employment.

“A year long or vacation placement will look very impressive on your CV and, if you perform well, can lead to the offer of a full-time job after graduation. Many employers use their placement schemes as the first stage in graduate recruitment,” notes Maggie Walkowska, engineering and technology careers expert at Middlesex University.

Personal development

“But work experience isn’t just about impressing recruiters, it is also about personal development,” Walkowska continues.

Indeed, the skills – both soft and technically focused will all help you start on the professional development path. If you plan to work towards professional registration skills you learn during work experience are the first steps towards ticking off competencies.


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Conclusions

In summation, were young people given the opportunity to vote, the European Parliament would become more representative of the people it is supposedly in control of. Women also need to be encouraged into the parliament in order for everyone to be represented. Many people, not just the younger generations feel as if they are unaware of what the European Parliament actually does, and how they can find out about it, and these people too, need to be educated on its role in our society. It is all very well to talk about lack of representation, but without education and equality of the sexes, there can never be full representation

In conclusion, if I could make one change about the European Union that would make the biggest difference for young people, it would be amount of involvement displayed by MEPs and this allowing greater education about the European Union for young people.


Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our thanks to the young authors of this white paper, the participating schools, the European Parliament in the UK, and those who have supported us in this project

Individuals

Dominic Brett, European Parliament; Toby Dudley, Team Global; Joanna Eden, Verbalisation; Sven Hughes, Verbalisation; Millicent Ragnhild Scott, European Parliament; Laurence Smy, Team Global; & Tom Wein, Verbalisation.

Participating Schools

Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School, Herefordshire;Isleworth & Syon School, London;Reigate School, Surrey;St Albans School, Hertfordshire;Stanborough School, Hertfordshire;Tolworth Girls School, London;Walthamstow Hall, Kent; &Westminster City School, London

Documents

Talking to EU: white paper - The Democratic Society · Maddie Liver Scott Moore Rebka Muciqi Darian Okakpu Zak Pearce Anna Pitts-tucker Malavi Rajakumaran Beth Robertson Jodie Roft