Bridging the democratic gap (From Stroud News and Journal)

Bridging the democratic gap

THE voters of tomorrow met the councillors of today at a special event designed to bridge the gulf between young people and democracy.

Youngsters from across the county met up with district and county councillors at the Stroud Subscription Rooms on Thursday, October 14 for 'Making Our Mark', a day masterminded by Gloucestershire's Youth Parliament members.

The event was presented by Stroud MYP Alex Farrow, 15, and his deputy Amanda Lund, 16, and included group discussions on how young people can become more involved in democracy and have more influence in politics.

"The idea of this is to get young people and councillors talking together," said Amanda. "The young people can learn how the council works and the councillors what young people want."

Alex Farrow, a pupil at Marling School in Stroud, added: "Essentially there are lots of people that need to communicate more and that is something we can definitely work on." Cllr Ray Apperley, from Stroud District Council, said he was impressed with the day.

"It's been very worthwhile," he said. "It has allowed me to listen to their views and get a better impression of where they are coming from."

Ideas mooted at the conference included an e-forum for young people to chat to councillors about political issues.