This week The Good Childhood Inquiry reported that children in the UK are more unhappy than their European counterparts. The report concludes that this, and bad behaviour amongst UK children, stems from “excessive adult individualism”.
For as long as I can remember, the media has focused more on the problems with our youth than the positives. For example, yesterday’s Daily Express exaggerated headline stated: “35 Million Yob Crimes a Year”.
Being the father of three children, I know that young people learn by example. They have a lot to offer if they receive the right encouragement and guidance. We, as adults, can learn from young people as much as they can learn from us.
Recently, I had the privilege of chairing the United Kingdom Youth Parliament Debate at the British Museum. I was not sure what to expect when I arrived. There were over 200 young people aged 15-18 from all over the country.
It became immediately clear that they are passionate about issues, without the cynicism that some adults tend to develop about the world in which we live. The theme of the debate questioned whether experience was more important than youthful energy.
I was impressed by their enthusiasm and the standard of argument. They debated without name calling or other bad behaviour. This is something the adult House of Commons could learn from!
The audience was very welcoming towards me and this helped me to chair the debate. There was one contributor that made a significant impression.
She was a 17 year old girl, who only made one intervention. In a quiet voice she said that she was not an expert in politics (who is?!) but she felt that she had some experience of life. She paused and added that for the last few years she had been the main carer for her bed ridden mother.
Her contribution was short, but powerful. Her experience of being a carer will give her an insight into Life’s difficulties that many of us do not have. It will be interesting to see how that young woman’s career develops.
I left the event with hope for our future. There is presently disillusionment about politicians and public figures. But on the evidence of this event, our future lies in better hands.
Quite possibly the young woman will have an illustrious career, in which case she will certainly not become a politician. Under the present system she could one day become a Baroness and put her life experience to good use in the Lords. However, if, as so many are calling for after the recent controversy, the upper house was fully elected, it’d be stuffed full of career politicians and would lack the contributions such as the one by the young woman you praised so much.
Britain is a country which hates children.
Anyone under 25 is a ‘feral youth’ or a ‘yob’. No mention is ever made (in the media) of how young people have made a beneficial impact.
On the report, I certainly hope it is given no weight, even if, or because rather, the news media are hyping it up.
I did not know of this report untill it came out, however I would have put money on it blaming working mothers. And indeed, it does.
I think that it’s pathological with these kinds of reports that blame must be placed onto working parents. Although I think that companies should provide both maternity and paternity leave, by itself having parents with careers will not harm a child.
I suspect the compilers of this report would like a time machine for 1955.
I’ve yet to see a youth debate that was conducted with anything approaching the ‘juvenile’ behaviour sometimes seen in the Commons. Ironic, given that actual juveniles seem much more able to retain their dignity! The jeering and cheap shots we often see during coverage of PMQs is frankly embarrassing to watch. Political commentators seem to relish the comedy of it but it only serves to make me ashamed of the people who are supposed to be representing us.
Thank you for the feedback. I agree the House of Lords is important in holding the Commons to account. MPs could learn a lot from the courteous behaviour that the young people displayed at the UKYP debate.
Peers often have to be better informed than MPs. Expertise and experience is a necessity in the Lords where questions often last 6-7 minutes and require sound knowledge and a detailed response.
Members of the Commons can give a theatrical display because their response time is considerably shorter. They have fewer supplementaries on each question and often the next question is called before an answer is pinned down.
In addition, the scrutiny in the Lords during questions and debates is much greater because the members are proven experts in their fields.