THERE'S something very special about the passion of a young person who feels very strongly about an issue. Throughout history, we can see lots of times where a significant social or political movement has been driven by the voices of young people who have decided that they won't settle for the status quo, and who want to move their society on.
And the opposite can also be true. Some would say that the effectiveness of regimes like Nazi Germany was largely due to the indoctrination of children and young people, who were given negative messages about particular groups of people and whose pa
ssion was channelled to serve the leader of the country.
So, as a city, we're responsible for making sure that children and young people have opportunities to work out for themselves how they feel about important issues, and that they have the freedom to express their views. We need to make sure that they have somewhere to speak up and that people will listen to them and value their opinions.
That's why we're having a special event today to launch a new project for young people, to train them in journalism and public speaking skills so they can speak out about issues of sexual health and reducing teenage pregnancy.
The idea is that the professionals who work with young people around these thorny issues need to understand where the young people they work with are coming from, and what's important to them. So, by having a group of articulate and enthusiastic young people who want to help us to get these services right, we're well on the way to offering the support that people actually need, instead of what we think they need.
Encourage your child to take an interest in what's going on in the world, by following our suggestions.
Ask them what they think
Even with quite young children, you'll often find that one family contains a number of opinions on the same subject.
When you see something on television, or you're talking about something at the tea table, ask you children what they think. Don't jump down their throat if their view is very different from yours, or even if it seems ridiculous – younger children often take a very simplistic or idealistic view of the world and so their solutions may not be particularly realistic.
Encourage them to take part
There are lots of opportunities for children and young people to have a voice and to make things happen. Ask your child if they have a School Council and if they know who their representative is. If your child has ideas about how things could be different at school, encourage them to speak to their representative and make a suggestion.
Or, if your child is involved in a sport or a community group, they might want to join a management committee or reference group. Lots of activities for young people have a consultation or reference group process, where the young people who take part in the activity can influence how it develops.
Not everyone wants to be a spokesperson
Remember, not all young people want to be the ones that speak out publicly, but they should all be encouraged to make their views known when they feel strongly about something.
Even if they don't want to join a committee or a school council, it's useful for them to know how they can express an opinion.
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FeaturesMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport.The full article contains 624 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
