Anyone under 20 years old only knows austerity, the pandemic and cost of living crisis. They are worse off than their previous generation, and don’t have the same expectations as the generation before. However, they want the same things from life: a home, their health, a good job.
As teenagers young people may not think in the same terms, and most don’t have the vote, but they have parents and grandparents who want those things for them.
Yet ask young people – including those from disadvantaged backgrounds (especially them) – what it takes to get on in life and they will tell you it’s down to hard work and a good education. They don’t shirk (they aren’t ‘snowflakes’). Rather the landscape is very different.
A job-for-life no longer exists. A single career path can be rare. Multiple jobs and changing roles are increasingly the norm. For the vast majority it’s not possible to save for a mortgage, now living at home longer if they can or with high rents that eat into their lower paid jobs.
The loss of places to go and things to do and services that work for them has created a pressure cooker of mental and physical health concerns.
Setting policy and delivering services through the lens of older people is to fail us all. For this next generation, they are the workforce we need to support an ageing population; they are the new parents starting a family and setting up home; their health is vital to reduce pressures on the NHS; their happiness is perhaps the most important across our communities.
Young people care deeply about their families, communities and the environment.
To give hope – and restore faith in our democracy – we must strive for a decent quality of life now and in the future.
Young people need to be part of the conversation, listened to on from their experiences, engaged on their terms.
*Citadel hosts charity-partners at the main party conferences, to create space with young people and engage on issues with senior politicians and services on the intergenerational challenges and future opportunities. #YouthZone #SkillsHub
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