Latest news with #YouthCouncil
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Votes at 16: Yorkshire teenagers have their say on Government plans
The Government has announced plans for 16 and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote across the UK, by the next general move is among changes to the voting system announced last week, which - subject to approval in Parliament - will form the biggest electoral shake-up since says the proposal is "only fair", while the Liberal Democrats describe it as a "no-brainer".However, the Conservatives say the plan is "hopelessly confused".But what do teenagers make of it? 'I want a say on how my taxes are spent' Noah, 16, is the treasurer of Skipton's Youth says he is "really excited" for people who will be able to vote in the next general election as a result of the proposed change."A 16-year-old can pay taxes, join the armed forces, get married with consent, and that is a lot of responsibility," he says."I am starting an apprenticeship in September. I will pay my national insurance, I will pay my tax."I want to get involved with how the country is going to evolve in the future."He says being over the age of 18 does not necessarily mean you know more about politics."You could say that anybody is not mature enough to vote," he adds."There are many adults out there who are not as well-educated as others." 'It's important we're heard' Rosie, 18, is part of a youth group in Leeds and says she would have voted in 2024 if the rules had changed says she would have done extra research to learn about the political parties."Lots of people are worried about people that are uneducated voting but I think there won't be much of a problem with that," she 17, agrees, adding: "I think it's really important for younger people to have their voice heard, in a way that isn't just protesting.""The people who would vote would be conscious of the decision they're making and how it impacts people." 'It will tackle low turnout' Anna Calvert, who lives near Skipton in North Yorkshire, missed out on voting at the 2024 general election by less than three months."I was a bit gutted that I wouldn't have a say on who would be looking after my constituency for the next five years," she now 18, is a member of the UK Youth Parliament, which has campaigned for the voting age to be lowered since its creation, 25 years ago."The group chats were all going mental when the plans was announced," she said."We were just all so surprised."She is hoping that politicians will focus more on issues that matter to young people during the next election campaign, as she says the generation currently feels "ignored".Anna believes that engaging young people in politics will also help to tackle low voter turnout."If you start getting people interested in politics young, you'll have voters for life." 'We need to be informed' Will, 15, York's member of the UK Youth Parliament, believes 16-year-olds are "mature enough, but possibly not informed enough" to he says that is not the fault of young people and he hopes education about politics will improve as a result of changes to the voting age."At the moment, people turn 18 and learn about politics online, which can be good but also can be difficult, because you can't help the spread of misinformation," he says."Or they're voting with their parents and that can lead to tribalism, and that's just not a true democracy."Young people need to be taught how to identify misinformation online in time for the next general election, he adds. 'Policies affect my future' Lucas, 16, is says he is pleased with the proposed change as "a lot of the new terms and policies affect me as a young person".However, he says he feels many people his age would not be able to make an "informed vote", because of a lack of teaching about the "current state of the UK" in Charlie, 15, says he reads the news and added: "I look at some of the parties now and then but I wouldn't look too greatly into them."Evie, 14, says a lot of young people she knows are "particularly interested" in the possibility that they will soon be able to cast their ballot."I think it's a great idea and I'm really looking forward to my first vote," she says. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Milwaukee Youth Council focusing on 'underappreciated' issues of homelessness, suicide
The Milwaukee Youth Council is trying to take at least a step toward addressing two problems that are often hard to identify — youth homelessness and thoughts of suicide. And although $160,000 isn't a huge amount of money, the Youth Council decided this week to divide the money in half, with one half going to two local agencies to work on youth homelessness and the other half going to two other local agencies to work on suicide prevention. Youth Council member Corbeau Martin Caldwell said he hoped the money would help tackle 'underappreciated issues in the community.' The money comes from $160,000 under the Community Development Block Grant program, and is intended to help youths aged 11 to 21. The plan will go before the Milwaukee Common Council for approval on July 31, according to City Clerk Jim Owczarski. Under the plan, Walkers Point Youth and Family Center and the Hmong American Friendship Association will focus on youth homeless intervention. Pathfinders Association and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center will focus on suicide prevention. Each will get $40,000. The homelessness issue can be particularly tricky. 'Youth homelessness isn't just you're living out in the street,' Martin Caldwell said. 'You could be living in a car. You could be living in a relative's house. There are so many different ways that housing instability manifests itself in Milwaukee.' The city's homeless population decreased by 17% last year, according to point-in-time data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which measures homelessness on a single night each year. However, youth homelessness is harder to measure and identify. According to Pathfinders, about 12,000 young people ages 10-24 in Milwaukee County experience homelessness every year. This estimate is based on national data from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and U.S Census Bureau. Tim Baack, president and CEO of Pathfinders Association, said it's harder to track youth homelessness because it doesn't manifest itself in typical ways, like living on the street or encampments or makeshift shelters. 'The reality is our young people will not be found in encampments. Just because the problem is invisible that doesn't mean it isn't there,' Baack said. Young people experiencing homelessness might live with friends or other family members, engaging in 'couch surfing' or 'house hopping.' They may find temporary housing, Baack said, but they are at risk of exploitation and don't have a long-term solution. 'It may keep them off the streets temporarily, but often the conditions in which they're living under are incredibly unsafe,' Baack said. Vulnerable youth can't keep pace with inflation costs Youth homelessness can happen for a myriad of reasons, but Baack said two reasons are the housing market and rent affordability. According to a study last year, a person working a minimum wage job in Milwaukee would have to spend 84% of their annual earnings on a one-bedroom rental. Mindy Calderon-Pitchford, the director of community services at Wellpoint Care Network said when 18-year-olds age out of the foster care system, they're less likely to afford rent because of a lack of support. 'Oftentimes their transition out of care could be abrupt because one day you're in foster care and then the next day you're not,' Calderon-Pitchford said. Calderon-Pitchford said intervention programs — like those the Youth Council money is funding — can help renting and finances. Suicide Prevention As for the grant money going toward suicide prevention, about 6 in 10 Wisconsin high schoolers reported being anxious, depressed or suicidal each day, according to the most recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Almost one in five seriously considered suicide. Those experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk for considering suicide. Mary Madden, executive director of NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, said a hurdle for young people seeking help is the stigma around asking in the first place. She said programs like NAMI's Ending the Silence, which uses young adults sharing their journey to recovery from mental illness, help lower the stigma of getting help by having someone kids can relate to. 'We found that that is the best way to reduce stigma is by having somebody that they can relate to come in and say, yes, I've been at risk of suicide, or I attempted suicide, or I, you know, deal with major depressive disorder. I've done things with my life, recovery is possible,' Madden said. Madden said more intervention services similar to Ending the Silence can help young people lower the stigma and inform not just people at risk, but family and friends as well. "The benefit for suicide prevention programs for anybody, whether it's youth or adults, are ensuring that people understand where to get resources, where to get assistance," Madden said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grants target hard-to-attack issues: youth homelessness, suicide
Zawya
6 days ago
- General
- Zawya
From diamonds to dirt: Sierra Leone youth bring land back to life
Craters filled with muddy water pocket the landscape of the Kono district in Sierra Leone – the result of past diamond mining ventures which sparked a vicious local battle over resources. But now, parts of the land have been restored. Crops are beginning to flourish and bees are buzzing around once again. The people responsible for this change are a hodgepodge group – former taxi drivers and miners, people who barely finished secondary school and some with higher education degrees. The unifying factor? Most have youth on their side. 'There is life beyond mining [but] we all grew up with the mentality that diamond is the only solution,' said Sahr Fallah, chairman of the Youth Council in Kono. Over 44 percent of the 1.3 billion people aged 15-24 are employed in agrifood systems. However, this group often does not have the same access to resources as older generations. Moreover, they are sidelined in the conversations which might change this systemic exclusion. 'A lot of the time, what we find is that young people are included in policy processes but it is a little bit tokenistic. They don't feel like their voice really matters,' said Lauren Phillips, a deputy director at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Decent work = economic growth The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York has been convened this week and next, to discuss progress – or lack thereof – towards the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which guarantees decent work for all. Despite this commitment, over half of the global workforce remains in informal employment, according to the Secretary-General's report on the SDGs released Monday. This means that they do not have adequate social or legal protections. 'Decent work must be at the heart of macroeconomic planning, climate and diesel transitions and social recovery strategies,' said Sangheon Lee, director of employment policy at the International Labor Organization (ILO). Don't ignore youth Like other vulnerable groups, young people face unique challenges in the agrifood sector. Specifically, they often lack land rights and will struggle to act collectively to protect their interests. 'If you are not looking at data with a lens of age or gender, you are actually missing part of the story,' Ms. Phillips said. Among these assets are land titles – which the elderly may be reluctant to pass down because of insufficient social protections. Youth also are less able to access credit so they can invest in themselves and their families. Betty Seray Sam, one of the young farmers in Kono, said that her family never used to come to her when they were going through a crisis – they knew that she had no money and a child to support. But now, through an agricultural job in Kono, she can support her family during times of crisis. 'This project has had a rippling effect for the youth in terms of not only improving their livelihoods but also the livelihoods of their families,' said Abdul Munu, president of Mabunduku, a community-based farmer's organization in Kono. Bee a farmer Providing training to young people in agrifood systems is absolutely essential to ensure that they can practice sustainable agriculture. In Chegutu, Zimbabwe, FAO has helped establish Bee Farmers Schools where young people are taught how to support apiaries through hands-on training activities. 'The idea is that one of the apiaries can be turned into a classroom where youth from different parts of a district can come just like a school,' said Barnabas Mawire, a natural resource specialist at FAO. This training has helped support local youth beekeepers to move beyond local and small-scale honey production to a fully-fledged business model that has the potential to not just fight poverty but actually create local wealth. Evelyn Mutuda, the young entrepreneurs representative in Chegutu, aspires to plant Jacaranda trees which she says will improve the quality of the bees' honey and enable the beekeepers to export beyond local markets. 'We want to maximize all the profits so we can become better and bigger,' Ms. Mutuda said. From Facebook to TikTok Being able to form labour associations is one of the key factors of decent work. This sort of collective action is even more important for youth in agrifood who often lack the social capital to enact real policy change. 'Young people are just starting out, making bonds within their group but also with people outside of their group. Those bonds are important…because there is power in numbers,' Ms. Phillips said. She also noted that young people are forming these bonds across geographic distances, often by using technology. Agrifood influencers on Instagram and TikTok, for example, are increasingly shaping conversations about the sector. Ms. Phillips also noted that it is important to think of collective action for youth as intergenerational. 'While the report is focused on young people, it's not ignorant of the fact that young people live in families…There is a lot which talks about the need for solidarity between generations,' Ms. Phillips said. Youth optimism The next generation will be the stewards of the food we eat, so integrating them into that system now is essential for future food security and sustainability. 'Many youth integrate tradition with innovation, creating sustainability and community resilience,' said Venedio Nala Ardisa, a youth representative at the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, at an online side event during the high-level forum. Angeline Manhanzva, one of the beekeepers in Chegutu, said that the opportunity to become a beekeeper changed her life. One day, she dreams of owning her own bee farm. 'I will be an old person who has so much wealth and is able to buy her own big land to keep my hives and process my own honey.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
Scoop
6 days ago
- General
- Scoop
From Diamonds To Dirt: Sierra Leone Youth Bring Land Back To Life
16 July 2025 But now, parts of the land have been restored. Crops are beginning to flourish and bees are buzzing around once again. The people responsible for this change are a hodgepodge group – former taxi drivers and miners, people who barely finished secondary school and some with higher education degrees. The unifying factor? Most have youth on their side. ' There is life beyond mining [but] we all grew up with the mentality that diamond is the only solution,' said Sahr Fallah, chairman of the Youth Council in Kono. Over 44 percent of the 1.3 billion people aged 15-24 are employed in agrifood systems. However, this group often does not have the same access to resources as older generations. Moreover, they are sidelined in the conversations which might change this systemic exclusion. ' A lot of the time, what we find is that young people are included in policy processes but it is a little bit tokenistic. They don't feel like their voice really matters,' said Lauren Phillips, a deputy director at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Decent work = economic growth The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York has been convened this week and next, to discuss progress – or lack thereof – towards the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which guarantees decent work for all. Despite this commitment, over half of the global workforce remains in informal employment, according to the Secretary-General's report on the SDGs released Monday. This means that they do not have adequate social or legal protections. ' Decent work must be at the heart of macroeconomic planning, climate and diesel transitions and social recovery strategies,' said Sangheon Lee, director of employment policy at the International Labor Organization (ILO). Don't ignore youth Like other vulnerable groups, young people face unique challenges in the agrifood sector. Specifically, they often lack land rights and will struggle to act collectively to protect their interests. 'If you are not looking at data with a lens of age or gender, you are actually missing part of the story,' Ms. Phillips said. Among these assets are land titles – which the elderly may be reluctant to pass down because of insufficient social protections. Youth also are less able to access credit so they can invest in themselves and their families. Betty Seray Sam, one of the young farmers in Kono, said that her family never used to come to her when they were going through a crisis – they knew that she had no money and a child to support. But now, through an agricultural job in Kono, she can support her family during times of crisis. ' This project has had a rippling effect for the youth in terms of not only improving their livelihoods but also the livelihoods of their families,' said Abdul Munu, president of Mabunduku, a community-based farmer's organization in Kono. Bee a farmer Providing training to young people in agrifood systems is absolutely essential to ensure that they can practice sustainable agriculture. In Chegutu, Zimbabwe, FAO has helped establish Bee Farmers Schools where young people are taught how to support apiaries through hands-on training activities. 'The idea is that one of the apiaries can be turned into a classroom where youth from different parts of a district can come just like a school,' said Barnabas Mawire, a natural resource specialist at FAO. This training has helped support local youth beekeepers to move beyond local and small-scale honey production to a fully-fledged business model that has the potential to not just fight poverty but actually create local wealth. Evelyn Mutuda, the young entrepreneurs representative in Chegutu, aspires to plant Jacaranda trees which she says will improve the quality of the bees' honey and enable the beekeepers to export beyond local markets. 'We want to maximize all the profits so we can become better and bigger,' Ms. Mutuda said. From Facebook to TikTok Being able to form labour associations is one of the key factors of decent work. This sort of collective action is even more important for youth in agrifood who often lack the social capital to enact real policy change. 'Young people are just starting out, making bonds within their group but also with people outside of their group. Those bonds are important…because there is power in numbers,' Ms. Phillips said. She also noted that young people are forming these bonds across geographic distances, often by using technology. Agrifood influencers on Instagram and TikTok, for example, are increasingly shaping conversations about the sector. Ms. Phillips also noted that it is important to think of collective action for youth as intergenerational. 'While the report is focused on young people, it's not ignorant of the fact that young people live in families…There is a lot which talks about the need for solidarity between generations,' Ms. Phillips said. Youth optimism The next generation will be the stewards of the food we eat, so integrating them into that system now is essential for future food security and sustainability. ' Many youth integrate tradition with innovation, creating sustainability and community resilience,' said Venedio Nala Ardisa, a youth representative at the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, at an online side event during the high-level forum. Angeline Manhanzva, one of the beekeepers in Chegutu, said that the opportunity to become a beekeeper changed her life. One day, she dreams of owning her own bee farm. 'I will be an old person who has so much wealth and is able to buy her own big land to keep my hives and process my own honey.'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Milwaukee Youth Council focusing on 'underappreciated' issues of homelessness, suicide
The Milwaukee Youth Council is trying to take at least a step toward addressing two problems that are often hard to identify — youth homelessness and thoughts of suicide. And although $160,000 isn't a huge amount of money, the Youth Council decided this week to divide the money in half, with one half going to two local agencies to work on youth homelessness and the other half going to two other local agencies to work on suicide prevention. Youth Council member Corbeau Martin Caldwell said he hoped the money would help tackle 'underappreciated issues in the community.' The money comes from $160,000 under the Community Development Block Grant program, and is intended to help youths aged 11 to 21. The plan will go before the Milwaukee Common Council for approval on July 31, according to City Clerk Jim Owczarski. Under the plan, Walkers Point Youth and Family Center and the Hmong American Friendship Association will focus on youth homeless intervention. Pathfinders Association and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center will focus on suicide prevention. Each will get $40,000. The homelessness issue can be particularly tricky. 'Youth homelessness isn't just you're living out in the street,' Martin Caldwell said. 'You could be living in a car. You could be living in a relative's house. There are so many different ways that housing instability manifests itself in Milwaukee.' The city's homeless population decreased by 17% last year, according to point-in-time data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which measures homelessness on a single night each year. However, youth homelessness is harder to measure and identify. According to Pathfinders, about 12,000 young people ages 10-24 in Milwaukee County experience homelessness every year. This estimate is based on national data from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and U.S Census Bureau. Tim Baack, president and CEO of Pathfinders Association, said it's harder to track youth homelessness because it doesn't manifest itself in typical ways, like living on the street or encampments or makeshift shelters. 'The reality is our young people will not be found in encampments. Just because the problem is invisible that doesn't mean it isn't there,' Baack said. Young people experiencing homelessness might live with friends or other family members, engaging in 'couch surfing' or 'house hopping.' They may find temporary housing, Baack said, but they are at risk of exploitation and don't have a long-term solution. 'It may keep them off the streets temporarily, but often the conditions in which they're living under are incredibly unsafe,' Baack said. Youth homelessness can happen for a myriad of reasons, but Baack said two reasons are the housing market and rent affordability. According to a study last year, a person working a minimum wage job in Milwaukee would have to spend 84% of their annual earnings on a one-bedroom rental. Mindy Calderon-Pitchford, the director of community services at Wellpoint Care Network said when 18-year-olds age out of the foster care system, they're less likely to afford rent because of a lack of support. 'Oftentimes their transition out of care could be abrupt because one day you're in foster care and then the next day you're not,' Calderon-Pitchford said. Calderon-Pitchford said intervention programs — like those the Youth Council money is funding — can help renting and finances. As for the grant money going toward suicide prevention, about 6 in 10 Wisconsin high schoolers reported being anxious, depressed or suicidal each day, according to the most recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Almost one in five seriously considered suicide. Those experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk for considering suicide. Mary Madden, executive director of NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, said a hurdle for young people seeking help is the stigma around asking in the first place. She said programs like NAMI's Ending the Silence, which uses young adults sharing their journey to recovery from mental illness, help lower the stigma of getting help by having someone kids can relate to. 'We found that that is the best way to reduce stigma is by having somebody that they can relate to come in and say, yes, I've been at risk of suicide, or I attempted suicide, or I, you know, deal with major depressive disorder. I've done things with my life, recovery is possible,' Madden said. Madden said more intervention services similar to Ending the Silence can help young people lower the stigma and inform not just people at risk, but family and friends as well. "The benefit for suicide prevention programs for anybody, whether it's youth or adults, are ensuring that people understand where to get resources, where to get assistance," Madden said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grants target hard-to-attack issues: youth homelessness, suicide
