This year's general election is expected to be the closest in many years, so it's no surprise that the three main political parties are using the internet to attract as many young voters as they can.
The Labour Party's Young Labour website — www.labour.org.uk/younglabour/ — is aimed at young people and young adults under the age of 27. Articles on the site include a piece on the government providing cash for free swimming for under-16s and over-60s, and a little film of lefty luvvies Kevin Spacey and Eddie Izzard praising the Night Less Ordinary scheme, which provides hundreds of thousands of free theatre tickets for young people. There is the opportunity for young site visitors to make a quick contribution by completing a comment box stating "If I were Prime Minister I would..." and voting on a shortlist of most important issues.
The site also includes a link to www.mylifemysay.co.uk where young people can engage in debates. The My Life My Say website is in dire need of updating and there is little evidence of people taking the chance to debate issues such as how we can get the most out of the 2012 Olympics for all parts of Britain.
The youth wing of the Conservative Party is known as Conservative Future, and it claims to be the largest political youth organisation in the country. The home page of www.conservativefuture.com is flushed with pride at having raised £9,500 for The Royal British Legion's poppy appeal. But there is also evidence here of pre-election work, including a film featuring party chairman Eric Pickles giving a "War Room Briefing" and young volunteers on the phones pushing Conservative Future's own election campaign, Time to Get Involved. The site has links to a range of other organisations.
Those with iPhones have the opportunity to download the latest Conservative Future app, which includes a user-friendly guide to the party's policies and access to the latest webcasts from party leader David Cameron.
The young Lib Dems hang out at www.liberalyouth.org. The forums on the site are in regular use and in March topics included Lord Ashcroft's tax status and the education system. The site is easy to navigate and has clear information on major campaigning areas for young Liberals, such as the environment, votes at 16 and scrapping tuition fees.
There are also a number of non-party political websites that encourage young people to take part in democratic activity. The British Youth Council has people such as Business Secretary Peter Mandelson among its alumni and its site www.byc.org.uk has a film of the launch of its general election manifesto. Our Parliament, Our Vision covers campaigns on issues such as child poverty, transport, young people's mental health and votes at 16. The site contains plenty of resources explaining the different elements of the campaign, as well as tips on finding, joining and operating within local youth councils and other structures through which young people can make their voices heard.
The UK Youth Parliament website - www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk — is not the most dynamic-looking site, but it does offer young people the chance to engage in political debate. Young people can contribute to online forums on a range of subjects. Recent discussions include the levels of violence in schools and whether the current education system is creating an unequal society. Copies of the Parliament's 2009 manifesto can be downloaded from the site, which could form the basis of political discussions with your youth group over the next month and provide material to help young people quiz politicians.
The Electoral Commission is charged with maintaining public confidence in the electoral process, including promoting understanding of the importance of voting. One of its sites — www.dopolitics.org.uk — is for democracy practitioners, which is "everyone from electoral administrators to youth workers".
The site has resources developed through the Youth Outreach programme, including case studies of projects that have successfully engaged young people in election processes and "how to" guides on running events such as political speed dating, democracy day and a Do Politics workshop.
Awareness-raising materials geared to the 2010 general election can also be downloaded here.
WEB FILE
- www.labour.org.uk/younglabour/ The Labour Party's site for young people under the age of 27. Visitors can vote on a range of important issues.
- www.mylifemysay.co.uk Lets young people debate political issues.
- www.conservative future.com Website of the youth wing of the Conservative Party. Has a promotional film, links to other organisations and iPhone apps.
- www.liberalyouth.org Discussion forums for young Liberal Democrats.
- www.byc.org.uk Has details of British Youth Council campaigns on issues affecting young people, and plenty of resources.
- www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk Online forums and downloadable copies of the Youth Parliament's manifesto.
- www.dopolitics.org.uk Offers "how to" guides and awareness-raising materials designed to get young people talking about politics.
