Is there really a relationship between the government and young people?

Working part-time as a Peer Outreach Worker for the Greater London Authority at City Hall has enabled me to connect with young people across London from different races, ages and genders. Together we are commissioned by the Mayor to gather the opinions of other young people. The diverse backgrounds of my colleagues and I have equipped us to be able to listen, understand and have an insightful impact in bridging the gap between key policymakers and young people.

As my generation feels alienated from an authority, the input of my team is vital to make sure each policy further builds a relationship in the present and inspires a future where being included isn’t a question. Through this platform I have honed my leadership, making projects happen, and seeing them through with a team. Moreover, it has allowed me to broach difficult conversations with other young people about their thoughts on what true government collaboration looks like.

I have tried to capture the essence of these conversations below, and offer any practical suggestions in which government organisations could implement. Not only to improve but to establish both a rapport and a relationship between government and young people.

We need to move “back to basics”

The irony is not lost on me when I find myself being asked, “how do governments and young people improve their relationship?” As the focus group fills with awkward silence, the very nature of young people collaborating to give their opinions feels nullified. It reflects the farce of the session, highlighting the hard truth; governments need to start being inclusive rather than setting an agenda. Young people know them, but do governments know us? The answer is no, hence why they themselves ask how it can be improved. Whilst at my role at the Centre for Public Impact UK, I learned about relationship-building both; within government, and between government and people. Considering the UK government is starting from an admittedly low base, I would offer the following reflections on the state of relationships with young people — a recognition of the very basic disconnect that still exists.

Communication is definitely lacking — A vital part of communication is consistency and continual updates. Often you find that government organisations are very good at getting young people to come to focus groups, events and sit on panels, etc. However, when it comes to updating young people on the outcomes of said events — this just doesn’t happen. It often leaves you as a young person to think: is this just a tokenistic tactic using vouchers, pizza and general incentives for us to give our thoughts or do they actually care and value our opinion?

There is a clear misunderstanding of what drives young people — I feel like governments and government organisations want to feel like they trust and understand young people however in actual fact they don’t. This may be because young people are often stigmatised as ‘lazy’ as recently further proven by a conversation with my external peer about the creative industry in the UK. The government recently released a cyber first campaign, “Rethink. Reskill. Reboot.” Where a ballerina pictured, with the caption, “Fatima’s next job could be in cyber. (she just doesn’t know it yet).” This campaign was then mocked through viral memes online, showing the outrage of the government’s unspoken message. It’s almost like governments are sending out the message that they are going to do all we can to kill the creative industry and many others because we need your menial labour to pay our debts and line our pockets. Moreover, the added discovery that the ad was made in 2019 but only released now in October 2020 cements the fact the government has been waiting for an excuse (this time the economy and COVID-19) to take control of people’s passion. The suggestion Fatima should work in cyber, is telling of the fact there is money in the technological industry, and that by staying a dancer in these times she would be forced to rely on government handouts till venues re-open… However, what this government refuses to acknowledge is that most creatives I know have 2 or 3 other jobs to support themselves to fund their passions, especially young creatives. Young people are not lazy, but this government seems to think that people in the creative industry don’t work hard. Do you know how many hours it takes to master an instrument? 10,000 hours. That’s years of hard work, and within every creative outlet, there are more media, which require another 10,000 hours to master each. The very ad itself was made completely by people in the creative industry; a message written by a copywriter, font created by a typographer, image taken by a photographer, application of cosmetics by a make-up artist, hair by a hairstylist, clothes and shoes by a fashion designer, bench created by a furniture maker, a building designed by an architect and layout by a graphic designer. They are hypocrites! This reflects in many attributes of government including key policy making.

There is not enough funding for youth engagement — Having worked in an environment where we advocate for young people who are the hardest to reach within society, has proven the lack of commitment and reach local governments have with their younger citizens. Albeit, there have been some good practice over the years as some have committed to having youth panels but not all local governments have this in place. It also seems like local governments have their own limitations, usually revolving around funding, this does seem like a central government issue. Many local councils may wish to do more for their youth, however, simply cannot afford it or do not get the funding or bids they need. Central government needs to take a closer look at which boroughs are getting what money and make this a fairer system within the UK and London.” Consequently, young people are less likely to engage with governments through electoral politics because government’s (mainly England’s) don’t design policies catered to the needs of young people. In particular millenials/gen z do not see most politicians as the most transparent, relatable and definitely not a source of justice.

Rapport instead of report — what needs to happen next?

The government is closed off to young people because young people can’t actually serve in government. We need to establish this relationship.In order for government organisations to show that they want to move from talking to collaboration and eventually codesign, they need to completely reimagine how they work with citizens. Consequently making more representative, accurate and quality policies.

People work in envelopes of trust, so in these trying times, it’s more important to build a rapport than focus on reporting progress. In order to build this rapport we need the following:

1) Better representation — We need more young people inside these spaces. Better representation keeps you in the game when things get tough, it shows you that though you may not know the next step, there absolutely is a path. Most importantly the positive impacts don’t end with yourself, it creates a chain reaction where you also want to give back and have the same impact on the next person coming behind you. Better representation also encourages better engagement and young people collaborate very well with people who look like them due to their shared sense of age, this also maximises the diversity of thought and drives people in the door.

So let’s include young people. An idea that could implement this would be creating a foothold for young people in the sector. Introducing something like a foundation course, where they would receive a qualification. Then perhaps creating a ladder system, similar to an apprenticeship where following the foundation course equivalent would they be able to learn about the ins and outs of establishing government agendas with integration and communication between the locals and young people. Perhaps, extending for the length of a degree, say 3 or 4 years, wherein the last stage the candidates have control of a project, with a budget and can put all they’ve learned over the years into action. By this point, they would know how to realise proposals and ideas, have appropriate relationships with the local authorities and know-how to work within government procedures. After this “apprenticeship” there could be positions created where projects spearheaded by young people happen regularly and actually would make an impact, and furthermore, would give young people not only representation but also allow the government to continue to have a constant rapport with their young communities as they grow. Moreover, the added aspect of a qualification system will ensure that young people spearheading these projects know what they are doing. The future successes of these projects would force people to doubt young people in government to take a page from their book, or maybe perhaps give them a seat at a table. The government can create a structure for young people here, almost like a sector wherein they are trusted to know what they are doing.

2) Put your money where your mouth is! — People love to work with young people to an extent, where they often cover costs such as travel and lunch. They may even throw in other incentives such as vouchers. However, it is a common thought that time is money, so if you say that you truly trust young people you should value their time and pay them for their contribution.

3) More Opportunities catered to young people especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds — In order to build this relationship, it is imperative to have young people in the same space as key policymakers helping with this work. So make a way and pave the opportunities but allow these opportunities to be meaningful and driven by purpose. Although pay is important, I think that pay drives a young person from month to month but its purpose is what will sustain a young person from day to day. So create a space or a network fuelled with opportunities where there is purpose whether this is creating more focus groups, internships, jobs, apprenticeship, work shadowing, focus groups, events you name it. If young people are there this is one step taken. CPI serves as an example of this, being an organisation that has provided me with an opportunity that would not have been possible if you were not trying to advocate for change. They have entrusted me to deliver the thoughts of my generation, I hope they continue to collaborate with young people and it will be taken on board to the path for new world order.

4) Stop conditioning young people — Young people feel alienated. Some of the worst things are about to fall upon this country and it’s my generation that will bear the brunt of that. We are going to be the ones who will struggle to find employment, we will be the generation that will be late to the housing market. It almost feels like this government wants to turn my whole generation into a blue-collar workforce. We’re not in the Victorian era where that’s what schools produced. This is the 21st century and we have had no say at all. Do they want to start to improve the relationship? It’s more like starting one, there is a level of distrust. Put my generation in places where they can shape these things. There are loads of people under 30 who are qualified and frankly get overlooked for the standard 50 year old . Give my generation a chance. Do they actually care? Really? They don’t understand the state of distrust. So if you really want young people to trust and engage, you cannot control their input through conditioning. You have to give their perspectives a chance and frankly, whatever they suggest I can assure now it will always be the most work, and most costly… why? Because nothing in this world is made for my generation to feel included. You hire young people qualified for the positions, and to ensure diversity. You must include a quota of at least interviewing for Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities that are qualified. Place another quota for the political parties the people you hire support to ensure a wide range of input. If you open up the roles, and the usual white middle-class boy fresh from Oxford and who went to Eaton because this will show you that you never wanted a change in the first place.

My closing message to government

An organisation called Young London often says that:

“Young people make up 25% of the population of young people but 100% of the future.’’

So the young nation should be at the forefront of many of these policies so that they become more reflective and representative of all young people across the nation.

Now let’s stop only talking. It’s time to build! Face the music, make those hard decisions. The previous generation fought for it and fortified it to the point, so support us as we embark on this foreign journey towards collaboration. Learn from us and try to see things from the other side, young people like all people aren’t perfect but we are open to change. So if the government does not extend a hand, when my generation grows up they will not respect the system and its values. We will tear them down and rebuild it from the ground up if Coronavirus is anything to show for — people are angry. The government’s true agenda has been exposed, very soon it will be too late to make real action and change.

Therefore, start now.