Young people vote to back £10k mental health project
MORE than 3,700 young people took part in the RCT Youth Vote 2019 run by the Youth Engagement and Participation Service (YEPS) – and they voted for mental health to be the subject of a new £10,000 project.
The RCT Youth Vote 2019 turned youth clubs and schools into polling stations, with the project aimed at tackling potential barriers for young people who want to vote. In total 22 youth clubs took part, while every school in the county borough was given the opportunity to run a polling station.
Voters had their say on which subject would become the focus of a new £10,000 project run by YEPS. They chose from three worthwhile options – tackling youth homelessness in RCT, exploring the fear of knife crime in RCT, and raising awareness/supporting positive mental health in RCT.
YEPS announced that 3,766 votes were received in total, along with 21 spoiled votes. Supporting positive mental health received the most support (1,736 votes), with tackling youth homelessness (1,239 votes) and exploring the fear of knife crime (791 votes) placing second and third.
The RCT Youth Vote 2019 followed findings last year which suggested 76% of young people in Rhondda Cynon Taff feel there is not enough education or information on how to vote when they reach voting age. It also revealed 67% of young people in the county borough would like to vote at the age of 16.
Councillor Christina Leyshon, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “It is fantastic to see that more than 3,700 young people took part in this exercise, which shows their appetite in engaging with voting. This vote was intended to break down some of the barriers which face young people, and gave them important experience and understanding of the voting process.
“Voters chose mental health as the worthwhile subject for the future YEPS project, utilising £10,000 funding.
“The service is now preparing a project idea to be led by young people – who will be involved in the entire process. I look forward to hearing more about the project in the near future.”