When youth and politics are paired together, apathy, disinterest, and aloofness come to mind.
It’s nothing new, and it’s a shameful trend. In May of 2011, just 39 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 24 cast their vote in the federal election. But Canadian youths shouldn’t be held responsible, or scolded, for their supposed indifference to government.
When political ideologies become inaccessible, and platforms and policy are chock-full of bureaucratic jargon, they cause discouragement, especially amongst youth. This is implicit disenfranchisement. If youths are left without the proper tools and guidance to become more politically engaged they run the risk of ignorant complacency, which can, and has, been wrongfully exploited.
Not all is in vain, however. The political barrier doesn’t have to exist.
The Liberal Party of Canada seems to understand some of the important strategies behind “empowering” youth to embrace politics.
When an issue directly affects youths they are more inclined to participate.
Things such as youth unemployment, volunteer opportunities, education and tuition, and the decriminalization of marijuana, (all of which have been confronted by the Liberals), provide opportunities for youth to become more actively involved in the political sphere—to have their say, to share their ideas and opinions on issues that depend on their input.
There’s no doubt about it: like his father, Justin Trudeau appeals to young voters.
The younger Trudeau continuously advocated the importance of youth inclusion in politics, placing it at the forefront of his campaign—a campaign comprised of over 10,000 youth volunteers from across the country.
By reaching out to millennials using social media platforms such as Facebook and Soapbox, Trudeau identified with them and, to his advantage, gained momentous notoriety based off his polished, rhetorical charisma.
Albeit a ploy to attain more votes from a younger demographic, Trudeau networked with young adults and more or less gained their trust in the process.
But can we blame him? Two birds were killed with one stone in the sense that Trudeau tried to attain the youth vote while attempting to raise them from their political slump.
Understanding political ambition and being able to decode political agenda takes time, tools, skills, and diligence.
But frankly, politicians and their processes must be transparent if the youth of today are expected to become politically aware.
This means coming out from the cover of darkness to carry out democratic discourses in an inclusive way, so as not to estrange masses of would-be youth voters and to reinforce their political knowledge.
Providing youth with the information they need to differentiate between parties and leaders will enable them to make more informed decisions that cater to their own unique values, opinions and beliefs.
The importance of mandatory political education is understated and the intermittent encouragement that public officials provide youths is not enough.
In essence, in order for youth to routinely participate, they need more political exposure than they are currently receiving.
By fostering a multitude of perspectives and ideas on issues that directly relate to the well-being and interests of Canadian youth, by appealing to youth and stressing their vital role in the Canadian political landscape, there rests a chance of greater mobilization, of unity, and of change.
