The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Listen to our young voices, says teenager
Ateenage voter has told councillors to listen to young people, saying there is risk of a growing disconnect between local authorities and the youth of today.
Blairgowrie teen Maks Inkster was among those casting his vote yesterday, but said he feels his generation is underrepresented at council level.
The 17-year-old, who is also a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, believes there is risk of a growing gap between local authorities and the young people who live in their area – and encouraged councils to listen to younger voters.
“There needs to be a way where councils can gauge the views of all young people in order to make it better for everyone in an equal manner,” Maks said.
“We are definitely underrepresented and councils focus more on the older generations, but what I think is important is that the younger generation do play a part in society and have a say. There is no harm in asking what people think because there could be a growing disconnect between the council and the young people.”
Among the issues Maks feels are important to young voters, education stands out as the most pertinent and the uncertainly brought on by the pandemic has left many feeling anxious about their future.
The Blairgowrie High School pupil said: “The council should be doing more to see what young people think is happening in schools and acting in a way that helps pupils.
“I’ve seen a lot of people really worried about exams and there needs to be more services for people to cope with that.”
Maks also believes there should be more things for young people do to in their local area, or at the very least better communication regarding what is on offer and would like see councils work more with young voters in the future.
He added: “I see people coming into Subway, where I work, all the time, not because they are hungry but because they are bored.
“There’s nothing for them to do and that does lead to anti-social behaviour.
“I think it’s a lot to do with there not being a lot available for young people or – at the very least – services not being known to them.
“Young people might see the council as being just for older people, and the council might see young people as anti-social, when really issues intertwine and we should figure out how to solve them together.”