Birmingham has the youngest population of all major cities in Europe, with people under the age of 25 accounting for almost 40% of the population. Despite power in numbers, younger people feel disenfranchised and often apathetic. Could election results here in Birmingham reflect the youth voice?
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00:00I think it really depends. Ultimately, four million young people aren't registered to vote,
00:06so the result can't reflect young people if young people don't register and don't get out to vote.
00:12Especially in Birmingham, being the youngest city, we are disproportionately affected by
00:17those political decisions and by political decision making in Birmingham as well.
00:22But I think it's really difficult at the minute where a lot of us do feel quite
00:26hopeless with the options we're being presented.
00:29Despite being such a young city, many of Birmingham's youth feel politically sidelined.
00:35They often don't see the impact of their participation fueling a cycle of disengagement.
00:43I definitely think that a lot of parties don't really think about young people when they're
00:49creating policy. I think we've especially seen that in this election. Over half of young people
00:54in the Midlands aren't feeling optimistic about the country's future and I think that's really
01:00fascinating to me to look at as a statistic because it kind of reflects how we're seeing
01:08things like the debates go and the social media kind of going where it really isn't
01:13very focused on us and it is very focused on that older vote.
01:18According to the Breaking Down Barriers report by Birmingham City Council,
01:22the pandemic magnified existing challenges for Birmingham's youth,
01:26especially regarding employment, mental health and access to technology.
01:31Many young people struggled to secure work experience and faced heightened anxiety.
01:37Socio-economic disparities became more apparent, with some thriving,
01:41while others faced severe hardships.
01:44Addressing these issues through better support and improved career guidance
01:48could significantly enhance youth engagement in both the economic and political realms,
01:54fostering a more optimistic and proactive community.