YOUTH COUNCILS: PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY

1
YOUTH COUNCILSPROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY

• Evanthia Lyons
• Director
• Social Psychology European Research Institute
• University of Surrey
• Guildford GU2 7 XH
• United Kingdom

2

• LYSISTRATA All the long years when the
  hopeless war dragged along we, unassuming,
  forgotten in quiet, endured without question,
  endured in our loneliness all your incessant
  child's antics and riot.
• Our lips we kept tied, though aching with
  silence, though well all the while in our silence
  we knew how wretchedly everything still was
  progressing by listening dumbly the day long to
  you. For always at home you continued discussing
  the war and its politics loudly, and we sometimes
  would ask you, our hearts deep with sorrowing
  though we spoke lightly, though happy to see
• What's to be inscribed on the side of the
  Treaty-stone?
• What, dear, was said in the Assembly today?
• Mind your own business, he'd answer me
  growlinglyhold your tongue, woman, or else go
  away.

3

• And so I would hold it. Well, so I did nothing
  but sit in the house, feeling dreary, and sigh,
  while ever arrived some fresh tale of decisions
  more foolish by far and presaging disaster. Then
  I would say to him,
• O my dear husband, why still do they rush
  ondestruction the faster?
• At which he would look at me sideways,
  exclaiming,
• Keep for your web and your shuttle your
  care,or for some hours hence your cheeks will be
  sore and hot leave this alone, war is Man's sole
  affair!
• Now in turn you're to hold tongue, as we
  did, and listen while we show the way to recover
  the nation. Girdled now sit humbly at home,
  munching beans, while you card wool and comb. For
  war from now on is the Women's affair!
• Aristophanes, Lysistrata

4
Predictors of the under-representation of women
(Source Rao, 2005)
5
Presentation Outline

• Research on Youth Civic Development Political
  Socialization
• Introducing the concept of Youth Councils (YC)
• Perceived Strength and Weaknesses of YC
• The role of Youth Council (YC) in empowering
  young women to participate in local and national
  politics
• UK Youth Parliament

6
Social Influence Agents on Youth Political
Participation

• Family
• School
• Youth Organisations (i.e. Youth Forums, Councils)

7
What is a Youth Council?

• Youth councils usually describe groups of young
  people who come together in committees to discuss
  issues relating to their communities.

8
What is a Youth Council?

• Local Youth Councils exist to represent the views
  of young people (under 26 yrs) at a local level.
  Run by young people for young people, youth
  councils provide a voice for young people
  enabling them to make their views heard in the
  decision-making process.
• British Youth Council (BYC)

9
Types of YC

• Feeder organisations
• Shadow organisations
• Consultative organisations

10
YC enable Young People to

• Voice their concerns
• Participate in local government
• Be empowered to take decisions and action to
  improve their local community

11
YC enable Local Councils to

• Truly represent the whole of the community they
  live in
• Become more vibrant, modern and dynamic
• Encourage young people to vote and become
  councillors when they are old enough
• Improve services to young people

12
YC enable Local Community to

• Become safer and more sustainable
• More vibrant and progressive
• Improve services and be more representative

13
Perceived Strengths of YC

• sense of self-worth and confidence
• better understanding of and personal involvement
  in local issues
• acquisition of new skills
• aspiration to become a politician
• (Source Matthews, 2001)

14

• I gained personallyconfidence it was a good
  experience. I think I kind of want to be a
  politicianit might be quite nice.
• (woman, aged 15)
• I used to be so shy and now I can just talkit
  really brought me out of my shellI also think
  now about whats going on locallyand what do
  other young people want from this.
• (woman, aged 16)

15
Perceived Weaknesses of YC

• They have no power
• They are too bureaucratic
• It does not represent the views of people like me
• They are monitored by adults agendas and
  processes

16

• I like it but the older ones tend to run things
  they dont listen to usthere times when I feel
  why botherwhy dont they just get on with it.

17
Youth at the tableReport I Governance-what is
all about?

• Recommendations
• Development of resources that focus on
  understanding the legal and financial aspects of
  governance
• Different methods of decision making
• Workshops to support personal skills to assist
  involvement

18
Youth at the table Report II Involved or
ignored?

• Effective models of decision-making
• Funding
• Educate and demonstrate the positive impact of
  youth involvement in governance
• Training, resources and events

19
Youth at the table Report III A
Participation Workers view

• How can an organisations culture inspire or
  restrict young peoples involvement in
  governance?
• How can organisations ensure that those young
  people dont burn out?

20
UK Youth Parliament (UKYP)
21
(No Transcript)
22

of Young Women in the UK Youth Parliament
53 female MYPs 47 male MYPs Age range from
11 to 18 yrs old
23
Empowering Young Women as Political Players ...

• Development of specific programmes, projects and
  activities for the benefit of girls and young
  women
• Youth forums on womens rights
• Seminars on civic knowledge and engagement
• Communication skills
• Leadership
• Teamwork

24
Issues to Consider in Setting up a Youth Council

• Who can participate?
• How do you recruit members ?
• What should the remit of youth council be?
• How is it envisaged that the YC will operate?
• How will its activities be funded?
• What support will members of the YC need to
  discharge their responsibilities

25
Issues to Consider in Setting up a Youth Council

• Who decides/provides the answers to the above
  questions?
• Are there any issues we need to take into account
  if we are to answer the above questions in a way
  that encourages young womens participation?
• How do we maximise the likelihood of transferring
  their interest in young politics to adult
  politics?

26

• Political socialisation is not something that
  adults do to adolescents, it is something that
  youth do themselves.
• (Yates and Youniss, 1999)