‘Our young people’s voices must be heard’
This year the Urdd’s forum has written the Urdd Peace and Goodwill Message. Reporter Abby Bolter finds out more from the Maes...
ACALL for equality across the board for young people – which includes giving 16-yearolds the right to vote – has gone out across the world from the Urdd Eisteddfod.
For the first time this year the Urdd Peace and Goodwill Message has been created by the Urdd’s forum for 16 to 25-year-olds.
And having been translated into 17 different languages, including Russian, Macedonian, Swahili and Arabic, the video message has already struck a chord thousands of miles away.
Ethan Williams, 17, from Pontypridd, a member of the Bwrdd Syr Ifanc forum which created the wording, said a school in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as one in Germany have already sent a response.
“With Sarajevo they felt exactly the same way in terms of their education system as they aren’t given equality because they are separated by boys and girls,” he said.
The short video message, which was sponsored by Telesgop, was officially launched at the Urdd in Bridgend yesterday but it has been many months in the making.
Ethan said that fuelled by discontent at the result of the Brexit referendum
THE PEACE AND GOODWILL MESSAGE 2017 IN FULL...
“We invite young people across the world to join with us in our call for equality for young people.
“We wish to receive equality: in our education opportunities, in our freedom to live according to our sexuality, when dealing with our disabilities, in our life choices and opportunities, in our rights to use our own language, when tackling racism, and in our freedom of religion.
“Without equality and recognition of our rights, others see us in a different light.
“We call for our voice to be heard, we wish that our voice is respected.
“We call for the right for all of us to express our opinions and for young and Donald Trump’s divisive Presidential campaign and subsequent election, young people from across Wales came together to convey how they felt their voices were not being heard.
“At the time we were Brexit-fuelled because we hadn’t long had the referendum and everyone felt strongly that over-16s should have had that vote – especially as Brexit was such an eye-opening event and young people definitely didn’t have their voices heard,” he said.
“We were also quite Donald Trump-fuelled at that point, especially because of the way he was describing people from different ethnicities.”
Starting last October, workshops people to have a vote, asking others to speak with us before speaking on our behalf.
“We do not have all the answers, we have our weaknesses and we acknowledge them so that we can keep on learning.
“We need to receive the correct information.
“We need to be educated on social, political and international matters and by encouragement not enforcement we are able to influence others.
“Together, we can raise standards within our communities for the generations of today and the future – ensuring that equality is at the heart of decisions for the future.” were held with young people to find out exactly how they felt, including in Aberystwyth and Llangrannog, followed by smaller meetings and, Ethan said, “lots and lots of Skype conversations”.
He said: “We had discussions and a number of cups of tea and coffee as well as biscuits. As we were munching on the biscuits we started talking about young people’s feelings and then, one word at a time and sentence at a time, our words grew into a message.
“It’s a very simple message talking about issues like human rights and Brexit. There is a lack of young people’s views in politics and political education.”
The message calls for young people to receive equality in educational opportunities, in respect of how their disabilities are dealt with, and in respect of their life choices including sexuality, the right to use their own language, and equality in tackling racism and freedom of religion.
“Without equality and recognition of our rights others see us in a different light,” the message states.
Urdd chief executive Sioned Hughes said: “The message of peace and goodwill sounds more relevant than ever and I would like to thank Ethan for bringing that alive.
“As the message of peace and goodwill develops to be relevant the Urdd also develops to be relevant.”