Jasmine Rambless: January 2018

Your Vote Matters; Encouraging the youth to vote

January 26, 2018

The voting turnout amongst 18-24 year olds is significantly lower than any other age group. Why? I wish I knew. In England and Wales, the legal voting age is 18 years, whereas in Scotland, it’s 16 years. This drop in age allows for a large proportion of more young people to vote, shaping their country and participating in the democratic process. However, thousands of youths do not exercise this right. I feel it is crucial that we provide teenagers with political knowledge whilst at school, and try to encourage as many people to vote as possible.

If you were to ask a young person why they don’t vote, you would be inundated with the same, stereotypical responses, including that they couldn’t be bothered, are disillusioned or don’t know enough about it. I wasn’t ever interested in politics until I started studying it at school, and I am at an advantage too because I have a lot of background knowledge now. I have the right to vote, and I am going to exercise this vote as much as I would exercise the right to freedom of speech etc. The topic of “politics” has a slight stigma surrounding it. Due to the media, politics have been painted in a bad way, and as a result, it has driven people in the opposite direction therefore their political engagement is very poor.

I'll admit it - I wasn't overly impressed nor interested in politics when I was younger. In fact, if I hadn't studied it, I probably still wouldn't be. My teacher encouraged us to watch the news to find out the latest political story, and this is something that I've continued to do ever since. I like to be updated and know what is happening within the Government. I like to be informed, and politically engaged. This isn't necessarily the case with every young person unfortunately; their interest lacks.

The age group which tends to, on average, have the highest turnout is the 65+ years. As their turnout is the highest, chances are their voices are more likely to be heard and counted, meaning they will impact upon the decision making progress. With that being said, younger people, not necessarily the 18-24 year old group, then complain about the result. I cannot stress enough how we cannot complain about the result if we do not vote and voice our opinions. Your vote matters, no matter your age, race or gender. If you believe in something, then action it. Say what you think. Don’t be afraid.

When it comes to voting, some people are afraid. They are afraid incase they make the wrong decision, which I completely understand, but if that's what you wish to see happen, then go ahead. The youth are easily influenced by their friends, and family, so sometimes they vote based on who or what their family or friends support. If you wish to see a different candidate become your elected MP to who your mum or best friend want, then what harm is that?

What exactly am I getting at here? I believe that we should encourage the younger generation to become politically active. Perhaps that in order to increase the youngest age group turnout, the government must act. As many young people do not understand the voting process, and politics as a whole, political education should be taught throughout secondary school. Even if it was just teaching the basics in order to provide underlying knowledge. Different elections have different voting systems, meaning the ballot paper can vary, and even explaining the difference between each and how they work would clear up a lot of confusion amongst young people.

To conclude, we should try and inspire the youth to vote. We need to reiterate to them how important and significant their vote really is. Especially when it came to Brexit, the younger generations were highly engaged and raised their opinions via social media regarding the election, even if they couldn’t vote. Why? Because they knew the importance of the election on their lives, and seeing this gave me hope for future elections, and our country.

air pollution

Pollution, It Matters

January 19, 2018

Did you know that as of September 2014, there was a whopping 45.5 million people in Great Britain who had an active driving license? Does that figure concern you? Especially with the large numbers of those turning 17 getting driving lessons for their birthday, the number is only set to rocket further. The more cars on the road, the higher the risk of air pollution there is. We may look outside and believe that the air is clean and fresh, but we are fooled by our eyes. It is in fact us humans who are at fault here; the increased numbers of people learning to drive at a young age and are continuing to drive into their old age in this ageing population, but also the toxins released from factories.

Typically, air pollution is associated with Eastern countries due to high populations - countries in Asia such as China and India where the populations are 1.397 billion and 1.324 billion. However, due to change of lifestyles in the UK, an increased yet ageing population and more youth drivers, roads are busier, with a rise in the potential risk of air pollution. At one period throughout this year, London had a higher air pollution than Beijing - a shocking fact considering the population of London is 15 times less than China. However, the most polluted city of the UK is actually Glasgow, whereas London is in sixth place.

I, for one, have noticed the increased laziness amongst teenagers who aren't willing to walk. Although we are all guilty of this from time to time, teenagers especially are relying on their parents to drive them everywhere, using them as their own personal taxi. This is highly concerning as it causes congestion on the roads, releasing poisonous chemicals into the air which is extremely dangerous for our health, as well as a lack of exercise. Each year, pollution is the main cause of over 28,000 deaths in the UK - majority are a result of heart or lung problems.

Not only are we harming ourselves, but think about the world's nature too. The plants that we are killing from the dirty air; the animals becoming extinct from pollution. We need to look around us and appreciate the beauty surrounding us. It is us humans who are damaging our own world, affecting our own health and risking innocent creature's lives.

One reoccurring situation I have noticed myself is the number of young people who get a lift to and from school every day. Of course, those who live a fair distance away will be entitled to a school bus, which is more environmental friendly because there are around 40 pupils in one bus compared to 40 individual cars being on the road at once going to the same location. The main concern here is those who get a lift but do not necessarily require one - in fact, it would possibly be, not only easier, but faster for them to actually walk than to get a lift. Taking into consideration, you could only imagine the congestion that the cars and buses cause in a residential area - it is dangerous for residents, other pupils as well as the drivers themselves. Whilst cars are sitting in the car parks waiting for their "little darlings", they are sitting running their engines, releasing the chemicals. With the number of cars and buses sitting, all running their engines, you could only imagine the damage that they are doing to the air. I can only stress to you how busy school areas can be on rainy days. Why? Because parents don't want their children to end up soaking, and instead, would rather pollute the air. Doesn't make sense, does it?

For each car on the road, whether they are sitting waiting to pick their child up, or are running their child somewhere, consider the number of fumes that are entering the air, contributing to the earth's environmental state. The air pollution is already critical, and it is set to increase even further. The worse the air pollution becomes, then people will fall ill more regularly. If people were to walk to places, or perhaps car share, the congestion would be reduced, vastly. Even if people were to choose public transport instead, it would be an eco-friendlier option. It is always automatically assumed that cities' air pollution is worse off, but in reality, smaller towns and villages are under the same threat. Fed up of miserable Summers and atrocious Winters? We only have ourselves to blame. The air pollution is the result of global warming, and if people don't change their ignorant attitudes towards the environment, nothing will change. Ever.

But, us as people should try play their part in trying to save their community. Even if it's just opting to walking instead of jumping in their car, every little gesture helps.

So, how are you going to contribute towards saving the planet?

NOTE: This article won a Young Reporters Scotland Award.

Jasmine Rambless

Your Vote Matters; Encouraging the youth to vote

Pollution, It Matters

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