How will change happen?
Change will happen when youths become more aware about the ongoing politics in our country. Change will happen when youths will be aware of how much injustice is happening against them and the other minorities. Change will happen when they actually start voicing their opinions and voting according to how they need to.
Will we be victorious?
Yes we will be victorious, but for that we need the support of all the youths around us, we need to communicate to and with each other and create awareness about the politics and the inequality surrounding not only the youths, but also other minorities.
Youths of this era feel that their vote will not make any difference to their situation.
23-year-old Becca, says: "Young people don't think their vote will make a difference or do them any good and that's why they don't vote."
During the last election campaign, an ICM survey of first-time voters for Radio 1's Newsbeat reported that 30% said they did not believe their vote would count, while around 20% didn't feel they knew enough about politics to make a decision. Interestingly, more than half said that they would be more likely to take part if they could vote online or via a text message.
(reference: Brooks L (2010) Guardian.co.uk. Available at:http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/06/general-election-2010-young-voices) [ Accessed 19th March 2011]
Statistics also tend to show the same thing.
"According to the Electoral Commission, 22% of students are not even registered to vote in the coming election. In 2005, national turnout was 61%, compared with 37% among 18- to 24-year-olds, down by two points from 2001. Worse still, the commission fears that the last two historically low turnouts, combined with younger age groups being much less likely to consider voting a civic duty, suggest the beginning of a cohort effect whereby the non-voting intention is carried forward into later life." (Brooks, 2010)
(Reference: Brooks L (2010) Guardian.co.uk. Available at:http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/06/general-election-2010-young-voices) [ Accessed 19th March 2011]
Which organization will affect change?
The anarchists and people who are trying to fight against the government using violence, are able to disrupt this campaign, because they are the ones misrepresenting the youths.
"The BNP party is able to hinder this youth awareness about voting because, they will be the first ones to be in trouble once youth is aware and starts protesting in the right way! The BNP according to HOPE not hate campaign have a lot of facism and racism, and often use this to gain votes at their advantage.
The organisation still rejects integration, equality and basic human and civil rights for people it describes as “non-indigenous” or “civic British” and claims to put the interests of “the British people”, by which it means white Britons, first. So, while the BNP has attempted to distance itself from its past it remains a racist party in the European fascist tradition.
The BNP has described itself as British nationalist, racial nationalist and more recently, ethno-nationalist. Its leader, Nick Griffin, has at times also referred to the party as a civil rights movement, especially since its electoral defeat in May 2010.
In recent years the party has concentrated on opposing Islam and actively campaigns against the establishment of mosques, halal meat and what it calls the “Islamification” of the UK".
(Reference: HOPE not hate (2011) HOPE not hate. Available at:http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/hate-groups/bnp/) [Accessed19th March 2011]
Hence this political party would never want to lose control and hence will try and hinder such performances of creating awareness. Of course our campaign is not that large, hence, they will not be bothered by our campaign. But we need to take advantage of the given luxury and do our duty, motivating more and more youths to vote!