The title of this article is not made up by Global Young Greens but the official theme of the United Nations International Day of Democracy. This year’s Theme reflects the global quest to have young people participate fully in democratic processes around the world. As a key part of the principles of GYG, we encourage young people to get involved and call on governments to create spaces and opportunities for the involvement of young people in the Democratic Sphere.
‘Democracy is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives’.
Even if all democratic systems are different, Democracies share common features. The greatest hindrance to full democratic actualisation is the underrepresentation of certain core groups such as young people, marginalised groups, women and the elderly from democratic processes.
In certain parts of the world, young people are showing a declining faith in politics with decreasing levels of participation in elections and political parties.
The Global Young Greens are striving for the inclusion of more young people into politics. Not only because political bodies should have an equal representation of the society, but also because young people have a different perspective on many situations. They are the ones who know what it is to be young at a certain time, at a certain place.
But there are also some good news. At the same time, more informal youth-led movements for democratic change are on the rise in a number of countries, including fragile states. Using new methods such as social media, young people are making their mark on democracy building in nontraditional ways.
As we move towards new development regimes, GYG and like-minded movements and organisations will continue calling for the complete inclusion of young people into democracy.
