Who said that young people are not interested in politics? I recently had the privilege of meeting over a hundred sixth formers from schools and colleges in Gwent in an event organised by the Bevan Foundation to celebrate democracy and 170 years since the Chartist Uprising in Newport. The young people were taking part in a “Question Time” style discussion with four politicians. I didn’t manage to catch the whole of the session but from what I did hear these young people were enthusiastic, intelligent and they had strong opinions about our political system in Wales and the UK.

Cymru Yfory Tomorrow’s Wales had a stall at the event, alongside the political parties, trade unions, charities and True Wales. The reason the stall-holders were all there was to sell their message and of course Cymru Yfory’s message is that the National Assembly needs to have primary law-making powers. The young people didn’t need much persuasion to sign our Declaration for Welsh Democracy. When the message is presented in a simple way the young people get it straight away – the message captures the imagination. Why should Scotland and Northern Ireland have more powers than Wales? They see straight away that the system as it is is unfair and needs to change. They see that Wales needs a proper Parliament.

Many of these young people will be voting for the first time in the next few months. In order for them to get into the habit of voting they need a topic that will excite them. I’m confident that when the referendum comes these young people will remember the message they heard in Newport and vote YES.

Elin Wyn

Development Officer, Cymru Yfory

It seems that education is the area that has seen most change during the devolution decade. From the Foundation Phase to the Welsh Bac there are innovative developments, unique to Wales which puts us in the driving seat as far as trying out new ways of teaching and educating.

On the whole those involved in education, from teachers to pupils and parents welcome these exciting developments. But there is one constant complaint – the lack of resources to deliver these adventurous plans.

By now we are used to hearing the teachers’ unions reacting like Pavlov’s dogs when they hear of new projects in education – more money and resources please! But my experiences during the last few weeks have convinced me that they have a valid point in relation to the Welsh Bac.
Over 60 schools and further education colleges in Wales offer the Welsh Bac to 6th formers. The blurb on the Welsh Bac website talks of “an exciting qualification for students in Wales that adds a valuable new dimension to the subjects and courses already available for 14 to 19 year old students”. The Bac offers students the opportunity to do voluntary work in the community, to develop key skills and to grow to be complete citizens. As our cousins across the pond would say: “all motherhood and apple pie”.

But it’s evident that not all in the garden is rosy. In most of the schools that offer the Bac the qualification is, to all intents and purposes, compulsory. And what happens when young people in their teens are forced to do something? They turn against it. This is a great pity, because there are many very good elements to the Welsh Bac.

The Wales, Europe and the World module is one of the core elements where students learn about politics, the effect of social, economic and technological change etc. Of course the starting point for learning anything about politics is to discuss what is happening here in Wales – and that is where I have great sympathy for the teachers. Where are the resources to teach Wales’ students about our political and constitutional arrangements? The WJEC has few to offer. The National Assembly for Wales has an education department that does important work, but trying to find resources on their website is the same as trying to find anything else on their website – like looking for a needle in a haystack.

It’s difficult enough trying to get young people interested in politics in the first place, but for teachers without enough resources and sources of information the task is almost impossible.
As part of my work as Development Officer for Tomorrow’s Wales I hope to visit schools to discuss Wales’ constitutional settlement and to try to give students an ideas about how the Assembly works. I’ve already met students from Penweddig and Dyffryn Teifi schools in a session arranged by the Institute for Welsh Politics in Aberystwyth. I’ve also visited Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph.

For all the reasons outlined above I wasn’t surprised that the students and teachers had so little knowledge of how the Assembly works. The majority of the Welsh population is uncertain of the difference between the Welsh Assembly Government and the Assembly itself. And who can blame them when the mass media – papers, radio and television regularly use the wrong terms.

But what struck me most was the reaction I got after explaining the present system of creating laws. Almost all the students agreed that the present arrangements are fundamentally unfair and that we in Wales need a system like in Scotland and Northern Ireland where we don’t have to go asking Westminster for permission each time we want to create a new law.

After spending some time explaining what a referendum was the majority of the students I spoke to were certain that they would vote and that they would put a cross in the YES box when the day comes.

I got my first opportunity to vote in the 1979 referendum. The disappointment of that result and the years that followed were a great disillusionment for many of my generation. The referendum on primary law making powers for the Assembly will be the first opportunity many of these students will have to cast their vote. Let’s hope that the positive result will encourage them to continue to participate in politics and active citizenship.

If you would like a presentation from Tomorrow’s Wales, please contatc Elin Wyn on elin@elinwyn.co.uk