RCT Youth Vote 2019 takes place this week
The Council’s Youth Engagement and Participation Service (YEPS) is turning youth clubs and schools into polling stations this week, so young people can vote on which of three issues will become the subject of a £10,000 project.
The RCT Youth Vote 2019 takes place from Monday, July 8, to Friday, July 12 – when polling stations will be created in 22 youth clubs located across the County Borough. Every school council in Rhondda Cynon Taf also has the opportunity to run a polling station at their school on Thursday, July 11.
The young people will be voting from the three following project areas:
- Tackling youth homelessness in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
- Exploring the fear of knife crimes in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
- Raising awareness and supporting positive mental health in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The project area with the most votes will become the subject of a £10,000 project, which will be run within the Council’s YEPS service.
The project aims to tackle potential barriers for young people wishing to vote. This follows findings last year, which suggested that 76% of young people in Rhondda Cynon Taf feel there is not enough education or information on how to vote, when they reach voting age. Also, it was revealed that 67% of young people in the County Borough would like to vote at the age of 16.
Councillor Christina Leyshon, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “I’m very pleased to support the RCT Youth Vote 2019, and would like to thank the young people taking part throughout the week – as well as the Council’s Youth Engagement and Participation Service for bringing forward this very important project.
“Last year’s findings showed that our young people in Rhondda Cynon Taf are interested in voting, and are in fact very engaged with the process. It also highlighted that they may not have the confidence to take part, due to a lack of knowledge about the voting process – something they wanted to address.
“The RCT Youth Vote 2019 aims to tackle some of these problems, by giving young people the opportunity to vote on something very worthwhile here in Rhondda Cynon Taf – about which of the three important issues will become the topic area for a £10,000 project run by YEPS.
“I’m looking forward to seeing our young people take part throughout this week, and to hearing the result of the vote which will be revealed on July 19.”
Find out more about the RCT Youth Vote 2019, and the times and locations of all youth club polling stations, on the following link www.wicid.tv/info/have-your-say/voting-project.
