by Brian McKay
While the elderly generation continues to vote and share their opinion, it has become increasingly difficult to stir the younger ones. It may seem like the case is the opposite, though, as some of those who are young are politically active tend to quite vocal - but it’s simply because of exactly this. The few that are, in fact, politically active may just make a bit more noise about it while the rest of the generation tries to avoid the newspapers altogether.
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It’s a shame, really, as the political decisions will affect the younger ones far more than the elderly. In order to change this, however, you need to start with your own home or in your own circle of friends; here is a handful of clever ways to get kids a bit more interested in politics so that they can help to shape the country as they ought to do.
That way, we may end up with the kind of society they’d enjoy in a short decade or so.
First: Discussing politics at home
Although it may seem like your teenager or pre-teen has stopped listening to you by now, they are still paying attention to what you’re doing and subconsciously allowing you to shape their behavior. They’d never admit to it, though so don’t let them know that you’re aware of your power.
In order to make your kids a bit more interested in politics, you will need to set a good example. Talk about what’s happening in society today and discuss different point of views. Politics are, after all, not black and white and it’s perfectly alright to share a few opinions from various sides of the political spectrum.
Start by sharing your opinion, first of all, give them the tools to learn more about democracy, and let them know that you expect them to have an opinion of their own.
Next: Give them the tools to learn
When you want them to learn more about politics and have an opinion of their own, you will obviously need to make sure that they have the tools to understand a bit more as well. It’s so easy to make this feel like homework, though, and especially because they will learn about this in school as well.
Try to find ways to make it a bit more fun to learn about politics by making it relevant to their everyday lives. What the pupils are allowed to do at school is, after all, also a matter of politics and it will affect them directly. If your kid is complaining about something at school, encourage them to talk to the administration about it and get other kids involved by signing a petition for or against something.
Have a look at these resources for voting reform as well, by the way, so that they can stay on top of all of the changes. It may sound like a small step to take but, when it comes to getting kids involved, every little helps a lot.
Decisions that will affect your kid’s life directly tend to trigger their interest a lot more than distant discussions on whether or not the healthcare system for elderly should be allocated more money - no matter how important it actually is.
Every little decision at home can also be considered a form of politics, by the way, and your kid may contribute to micromanaging your home if you simply give them a voice.
Just keep in mind that you run the risk of teaching them too much, though, and they might soon realize that your regime at home is not as much of a democracy as the rest of society.