Youth politics

Youth politics is a category of issues which distinctly involve, affect or otherwise impact youth.

History

USA

With roots in the early youth activism of the Newsboys and Mother Jones' child labor protests at the turn of the 20th century, youth politics were first identified in American politics with the formation of the American Youth Congress in the 1930s. In the 1950s and 60s organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Students for a Democratic Society were closely associated with youth politics, despite the broad social statements of documents including the liberal Port Huron Statement and the conservative Sharon Statement and leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Other late-period figures associated with youth politics include Tom Hayden, Marian Wright Edelman and Bill Clinton.

Europe

Youth politics have an extensive history in Europe, as well. Free German Youth was founded in 1936 as a communist alternative to the Nazi Youth movement.

In the UK there is a particularly Youth Politics Movement consisting of the British Youth Council (BYC), UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) and Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP). Although having no direct power the young people in these organisations have a close working relationship with members of parliament and are fairly influential.

Globally

Other continents have experienced a variety of youth politics and political movements.

Present

Between the influence of mainstream media and politicians, youth politics in the United States has been illegitimated and deprioritizedFact|date=March 2008. Organizations such as National Youth Rights Association and The Freechild Project continue to advocate and educate for issues that affect young people specifically, while other organizations, including Youth Service America and Advocates for Youth work for issues that affect youth directly. The children's rights movement is widely credited with keeping youth politics on the national radarFact|date=April 2007, while other fledgling movements such as youth voice and youth participation have yet to gain the spotlightFact|date=April 2007.

List of current youth politics issues

There are several issues which are deemed "youth politics" by politicians, mainstream media and other sources.
*Age of candidacy
*Age of consent
*Age of majority
*Child labor laws/Right-to-work
*Corporal punishment
*Curfews
*The draft
*Drinking age
*Driving age
*Education policy/reform
*Emancipation of minors
*Healthcare
*Immigration
*List of the youngest mayors in the United States
*Minors and abortion
*National service
* Right to sign a contract
*School reform
*Student rights
*Voting age
*Youth participation
*Youth service
*Youth vote
*Zero tolerance

List of current youth politics organizations

There are thousands of youth politics organizations and programs around the world.
*Dáil na nÓg (Irish Youth Parliament)
*Scottish Youth Parliament
*European Liberal Youth
*International Federation of Liberal Youth
*Youth wings of political parties in Denmark
*Green Youth
*Green Youth (Sweden)
*Tbilisi Youth City Assembly
*Democratic Youth Party
*Communist Youth Movement
*Egypt Youth Party
*Christian Democratic Youth
*Youth of the Danish People's Party
*Youth of the Progress Party
*Jugendverband REBELL
*Northern Ireland Young Communist League
*Turkey Youth Union
*European Free Alliance Youth
*Youth of the Popular Movement against EU
*Democratic youth movement
*Communist Youth of Côte d'Ivoire
*Young Ecologists
*Young Communist League of Germany
*All India Socialist Youth Council
*Young Americans for Freedom
*Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
*The College Republicans

ee also

*Youth voice
*Youth activism
*Youth empowerment
*Youth rights
*Youth organizations
*List of youth councils
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External links

* Sitaraman, G. and Warren, P. (2003) " [http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/05.29/05-ugradauth.html Invisible Citizens: Youth Politics After September 11.] " Writers Club Press.
* Daifallah, A. (1999) [http://iog.ca/about_us.asp?pageID=16 A Blueprint for student political influence] . Originally published in the "Peterborough Examiner". Institute on Governance website.
* Hansson K. and Lundahl L. (2004) "Youth politics and local constructions of youth," "British Journal of Sociology of Education, Volume 25"(2) April 2004 , pp. 161-178.
* [http://civicyouth.org/ CIRCLE] - Center for Information and Research on Civil Learning and Engagement. Website includes dozens of reports on youth politics.
* [http://www.spunout.ie SpunOut.ie Irish National Youth Website]
*Giroux, H. (2001) [http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/jan01giroux.htm "Zero Tolerance: Youth and the politics of domestic militarization, Part I,"] "Z Magazine."