Cologne's youth vote! U-16 wants their issues to be heard!

Cologne's youth vote! U-16 wants their issues to be heard!

The Cologne Youth Ring has set an important example for the political education of young people with an exciting U-16 local election from September 1st to 5th. The aim is to make the concerns and opinions of young people audible in political discussions. This initiative comes at a time when many political campaigns often find it difficult to reach teenagers and young adults Cologne church reported. The engagement aims to not only promote selection participation, but also to bring discussion topics such as climate justice, safety in public spaces and mental health to the fore.

The Cologne Youth Ring has set itself the goal of enabling political participation at over 100 polling stations as well as numerous events in order to actively involve young people in the democratic process. The U-16 elections, which have been held before every local election for over ten years, simulate the process of a “real” election in order to give young voters a realistic impression of democratic processes. Particularly noteworthy is the democracy festival “Turn Up in CGN”, which takes place on September 5th at the Kulturhof Kalk and offers numerous program items. The anticipation is increasing!

The festival: A meeting place for young voices

The festival concept is versatile and not only impresses with high-quality live acts such as Retrogott and Johannes Zeijl, but also with creative stations and chillout areas. Food is also provided so that everyone gets their money's worth at the event. A special highlight will be the election arena, where mayoral candidates will answer questions in an 11:11-minute question and answer session. Politicians from various parties, including Katharina Dröge Alliance 90/The Greens and Henriette Reker, the mayor of Cologne, have confirmed their attendance. These encounters are intended to give young people the opportunity to talk directly to those responsible.

Another exciting aspect is the cooperation of the district student representatives, who will conduct short interviews with mayor candidates during the holiday camp. These interviews should not only address the topics of young people, but should also be published in video format in order to reach even more young people. Seven mayoral candidates have already agreed to answer the young people's questions.

Support political education

The organization and implementation of such campaigns is supported by various funding programs. Among other things, through the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, which supports political education projects for children and young people. It is not only important to provide assistance, but also to further stimulate conversations and exchanges between young people and politicians.

Overall, the variety of activities and support shows that the Cologne Youth Ring and its initiatives are clearly working towards greater participation of young people in politics. The young people should not only listen, but also actively help shape it - that is the goal of these committed campaigns! It starts on September 5th, we are looking forward to the results and the young voices that will be brought into the current political discussion!