Young voices in focus: local elections make kids visible!

Young voices in focus: local elections make kids visible!

Young people's voices are being heard in an important initiative that is likely to attract a lot of attention in the upcoming 2025 local elections in Cologne and the surrounding area. On July 2, 2025, the starting signal will be given for a campaign by the Department for Child and Youth Promotion of the Borken District Youth Welfare Office, which aims to promote the visibility of children and young people who are not yet eligible to vote under the motto “Think with us”.

In a total of 13 municipalities, it is pointed out how active young people are in their community. Ahaus, Bocholt, Borken and Gronau have already committed themselves to the commitment with their own youth welfare offices. The campaign aims to focus on young people's social engagement - an important step because the voice of young people is often ignored in political decisions.

Social engagement and media presence

The campaign will use social platforms and analogue media to present the diverse initiatives such as sports and music clubs, scout groups and youth fire departments. Numerous interested parties from clubs and associations are invited to take part and send in photos of their activities. The deadline for entries is July 20, 2025. Five teams will be rewarded in a raffle - a great way to reward commitment while increasing visibility. Information is below www.jugendarbeit-kreis-borken.de to find while asking questions directly jugendarbeit@kreis-borken.de can be directed.

But this initiative is no coincidence. The Working Group for Child and Youth Welfare (AGJ) is drawing attention to the alarming situation. With the presentation of the German Child and Youth (Aid) MONITOR 2025 on April 29th in Berlin, urgent concerns were formulated that point to the need for a rethink in the political landscape. The central message is: take young perspectives seriously. Around 22 million young people under the age of 27 in Germany have the right to be heard. But the reality is often different.

The challenges of young people

The AGJ describes the future prospects of young people as being heavily burdened by various crises. Whether economic uncertainty, fear of war in Europe or the climate crisis – the list of challenges is long and worrying. Above all, growing social inequality and, at the same time, increasing risks of poverty are issues that cause great concern among younger people. According to current figures, one in five children in Germany will be at risk of poverty, which corresponds to a poverty risk of 20.7 percent for children and young people under the age of 18.

Child and youth welfare specialists also warn of an increasing shortage of skilled workers, which is further exacerbating the current situation. The AGJ is therefore not only calling for basic poverty-proof child security, but also the establishment of a national fund for child and youth welfare worth at least 10 billion euros over the next ten years. Action must be taken immediately in politics to improve the visibility and participation of young people, something AGJ chairwoman Karin Böllert is also emphatically calling for.

How important it is that young voices are integrated into the political discourse can also be seen in the upcoming discussion at the 18th German Child and Youth Welfare Day in Leipzig, which will take place from May 13th to 15th, 2025. The motto: “Because it’s all about: realizing democracy through participation!”

The upcoming local elections are an opportunity to give children and young people a voice and to draw attention to their concerns, even if they are not yet allowed to vote themselves. It remains to be hoped that these efforts are not just short-term actions, but will have a long-term positive impact on the political landscape in Germany.