Young people in Grünstadt: new ways to political participation!

Young people in Grünstadt: new ways to political participation!

The city of Grünstadt is preparing for the upcoming election of a youth council on March 20. This choice is an important step for the young generation because it will be given an official voice in urban politics for the first time. The city council of Grünstadt had already commissioned the administration to carry out an information event for young people in December 2023 in order to lay the foundation for this representation. As rheinpfalz.de is reported for participation in the choice. What could be a hurdle for some young people, since not everyone from the age of 16 is automatically owned by such a document.

The information event took place on April 24, 2024 in the Weinstrasse Center, to which young people from Grünstadt were invited aged 14 to 17. Deputy Christoph Zaremba (FDP), responsible for youth, was among those present and showed great interest in the concerns of the young people. These met a total of four times to advance the planning of their youth representation. They were supported by Jürgen Bracht, the head of the regulatory office, and street worker Ninette Volkmann, who provided them with rooms in the Haus der Jugend.

Foundation of the "Young Voice Grünstadt"

The young people developed their own logo and chose the name "Young Voice Grünstadt" for their representation. Two chairpersons have already been elected. Another important step took place on September 20, 2024, the World Children's Day, as an event under the motto "Your ideas, our actions!" was carried out in the town hall. Here Simone Manger moderated the event and supported the young people in clarifying open questions about the establishment of their youth council. Christoph Zaremba, Jürgen Bracht and Ninette Volkmann answered questions.

During a four -hour workshop, the youthful ideas and suggestions were able to work out that should be incorporated into the establishment of their representation. The results included the creation of meeting places for young people, the strengthening of political education and planning events. These suggestions were presented by Christoph Zaremba and will be pursued by the young people in the next step to the official foundation of the youth representative.

political participation and challenges

The commitment of young people in political matters has grown in recent years, with movements such as Fridays for Future playing a central role. According to bpb.de in Germany has a migration background, which restricts access to the right to vote for many. In addition, young people often lack identification with parties and opportunities for influence. The challenges include a lack of financial resources and often complicated access to political structures.

The increase in youth clubs and initiatives shows a trend towards low -threshold forms of engagement that are less formal and therefore have a more accessible effect. Despite this progress, the representation within such groups often remains inadequate, as the study on the commitment and the political participation of the young generation shows.