ANALYSIS: Citizenship - The minister's chance to listen

The minister only had a couple of hours in the morning to listen to the young people's opinions, before he had to dash back down to London.

He had to meet with a Tibetan nun who had been imprisoned in China. All part of his day job as a junior minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

But the 14 to 19-year-olds made the most of it and the minister, the Harlow MP Bill Rammell, fielded a steady stream of questions from the floor in the Cambridge event on 26 June, part of the Str8 Up! Young People Talk, Ministers Listen tour. This England-wide event, organised by the Children and Young People's Unit (CYPU), has gone to venues from Leeds to Bristol to Guildford, and it is coming to an end in Newcastle on Friday, 4 July. It is touted as an opportunity for young people to influence future Government policy.

Listen and learn

It was more a case of "young people talk, minister listens" with Rammell the only Government representative in attendance. The three originally lined up became one when the Cabinet reshuffle coincided with the start of the tour. Holding a brief that includes foreign policy in the South Pacific, Latin America and Southeast Asia, Rammell may not have as much impact on youth policy as some of the other ministers on the Str8 Up!

tour. These include Paul Boateng, who's chairing the forthcoming green paper on children at risk. However, Rammell was head of the Basildon youth service in the mid-1980s.

The minister was assisted by two breakfast-show DJs from the local Q103 radio station, with other facilitators from the CYPU. About 40 young people attended the event, with about 20 adults present. Local Connexions partnerships were involved in inviting the young people, who were drawn from organisations such as youth parliaments.

According to Rammell, the tour is a "great opportunity for ministers to ask young people what issues are important to them." He told YPN: "We live in desperately cynical times. More than anything, we have to listen and convince people that decisions made in Westminster and by councils have an impact on young people at a local level."

Rammell hailed the appointment of Margaret Hodge as minister for children and young people: "Having one minister that can cut across the issues and knock heads together is a very good move, to bring in all the issues from across the departments." The CYPU hopes to get Hodge to attend one of the final three Str8 Up! events this week, though there is an acknowledgement that she has a very busy workload.

Rammell highlighted the importance of youth participation in politics, raising a giggle from the floor when he described the low turnout at the last general election as a "bloody worry".

But a lack of political engagement by the young people, who adhered to ground rules (see panel), wasn't a problem last week. Transport, education and bullying were the three issues that raised most interest from the young participants, mirroring much of the Str8 Up! tour to date, which has also seen crime, the war in Iraq, asylum seekers and street litter raised in front of members of the Government.

Worries about education

The majority of the participants were on the verge of deciding their academic future, and were waiting to hear their exam results - and many expressed concerns about student debt, calling for more information on the amount of funding to which they were entitled. One girl who had just done her GCSEs said: "The Government wants more people to go into higher education, but people don't know how to do it."

With many of the questions focusing on improved public services, which would require greater funding, Rammell had some words of support for fellow Labour MP Peter Hain, "crucified in the press for introducing a very sensible debate about taxes".

Mohammed Jangher and Tess Clarke, both 16 and from participation project Youth Consultation Peterborough, attended the event. "We think it was positive, as it provided us with the ability to listen to other people's views, make new friends and build bridges," they said.

All the Str8 Up! events are being recorded by the CYPU and will help the unit come up with a report that is due go in front of the Government some time in the autumn.

www.cypu.gov.uk.

GROUND RULES - Mobile phones off - or in vibrate mode - Respect other's opinions - there is no wrong or right - Don't interrupt - put your hand up to speak - If shy, you can ask a facilitator to help - No violence or threats - You are the experts