Much of the collateral damage of the pandemic is long-term. The solutions to these challenges are not simple. New policies to address these issues will require vision, imagination and innovation. It is essential that these polices include and reflect the views of the people most impacted – our young. This is the opportunity to not only enrich their lives, but also society in general. I believe that this can be achieved by adding a new and potent dimension to young peoples’ education and development.
There was a time when universities provided both the seeds and the fertile ground for radical action and revolution. Hormone-driven students fomenting at world injustices would pursue radical causes with commitment and vigour. They have now lost this mantle. The all-encompassing neoliberal economic cloak that measures success in terms of financial return has critically constrained their freedom to think radically. University students have been reduced to the default of no-platforming anyone who disagrees with their perspective.
It took a 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg to awaken the world to global warming and a young Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, to create a global campaign for the right to educate women.
School children are the new rebels with a cause. They continue to amaze and inspire.
The only way to create and build upon this potential is to engage, consult and, ultimately, to give these young people an effective forum with real political clout. If done correctly it could tap into the sparkling creativity and energy that they have to offer.
I propose that we use the vehicle of citizens’ assemblies for this purpose and integrate this into their education. Citizens’ assemblies are a proven forum for successfully addressing complex and divisive societal problems (e.g., same sex marriage, abortion and decarbonisation) in countries as diverse as Canada, Ireland and the Netherlands. The citizens in this case would be all the 16 to 18-year-olds in the country. It is essential that they make all the major decisions, so we do not constrain their inventiveness.
There are processes that have been developed to optimise the effectiveness of citizens’ assemblies. They require trained and experienced negotiators, and specialists with expert knowledge to provide perspective on the issues being addressed. Clearly investment will be required to fund these resources, personnel and facilities. The internet, a dedicated platform and live streaming could be effectively employed to disseminate information and hold discussions and debates. As they enter the 6th form or equivalent, their year group would choose a range of subjects and then select one or two for their two-year programme. Initially assemblies could be held at the individual school level and then expanded locally, regional and finally nationally. During every stage each specific assembly will select representatives from their group for the next stage. Time would need to be taken out of the school day for this work. To do this it needs to be a core subject of the academic curriculum with a valid qualification (the Citizens’ Diploma). The introduction, structure and smooth running of this would be a key responsibility of The Secretary of State for Education. The education and preparation of young people for this qualification could be productively commenced earlier in their school years, so they become familiar and experienced with the processes involved. These lessons could include an introduction to democracy, British Government, and the roles of the law, the media, free speech and civic society. Inspirational experts in these areas could enhance the programme with on-line talks. The citizens assemblies would be the key component of the final two years of this programme. These assemblies would enhance their experience and skills in deliberative thinking, debating, assessing different and opposing perspectives, and sorting fact from fiction. There would be no exams – just engagement.
Ultimately, for these assemblies to be successful they must have real political muscle. It would be futile and counterproductive if they degenerated into talking shops. They need to be taken seriously. The political parties would be obliged to respond to the outcomes and to commit to policy responses written into their manifestos. There will be a whole tranche of politically savvy young people who at 18 will get the vote for the first time. Between each election this new tranche will have real electoral power. It has been estimated that 56 marginal seats could be determined by how this group voted. There would be no more powerful incentive for the parties to respond constructively and positively to the outcomes of these assemblies.
Empowering young people in this way would be the most positive and beneficial legacy of this pandemic. It would show that we value their opinions, and we trust them. There would be many benefits of having an increasing population of people who feel that they are real stakeholders in our nation’s future. Community spirit, political engagement, social conscience and cohesion would all be enhanced, and for the first time, we would have a forum to address the long-term national issues that our 5-year electoral cycle inherently obstructs. The future for their lives and for the country could be transformed.
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