On the Lack of Youth Representation

In the sociology of youth, which is accepted as a sub-heading of sociology, youth is interpreted as a period that changes and develops culturally and historically, taking into account the biological aspect of the individual, as well as a period of social continuity.

According to data compiled from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) and the Turkish Statistical Institute ( TUIK), the youth population in the 15-24 age group was calculated as 12 million 955 thousand 672 people as of last year. This corresponds to 15.6 % of Turkey’s total population. Despite the fact that young people constitute a large majority of the population, there are major deficiencies in youth representation. Young people agree that young people are not trusted in Turkey. Young people want to exist today and be accepted and valued by society for who they are, rather than being accepted as individuals preparing for tomorrow. Society’s preconceived notions that young people are useless prevent them from freely expressing their opinions and living their identities as they are. Consequently, young people are forced to stay away from social participation activities that would allow them to exist.

Young MP Ratios in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey

With the June 24 early elections, the number of MPs entering parliament increased from 550 to 600. While it was expected that the rate of young MPs in parliament would increase in the June 24 elections, which were also the first elections held after the lowering of the voting age from 25 to 18, the opposite was the case. From 1.6% in the parliamentary arithmetic formed as a result of the November 1, 2015 elections, the ratio of young MPs dropped to 1.3% despite the lowering of the voting age and the increase in the number of MPs.

Due to the active role of the older age group in governance, the political participation of young people, as in general political participation studies, is usually limited to voting.

In the 27th Parliamentary Elections, there was a high number of individuals with an average age of 40 to 59. When we consider that the average age of politicians is so high, the inability to identify fundamental problems or to submit appropriate proposals on issues concerning young people because the necessary decisions are not made by young people paves the way for many problems.

In social media, young people only talk about KYK debts and dormitory problems, which leads to the neglect of fundamental problems. For this reason, instead of guessing the needs of young people, it is a much healthier way and method to allow them to be represented and to reflect them by the people who are among them. For this reason, it is very important that they are in a position to express their opinions during decisions that will affect their future.

Solution Proposals

In the 2009 European Union’s Youth Strategy Paper, the European Union has two main visions for youth;

The first is to invest more in the youth field in order to develop policies that affect the daily life of young people and improve their well-being. The second is the empowerment of youth as a whole in order to contribute to the values and objectives of the European Union and to support the potential of young people for the renewal of society. The three overarching and interrelated main objectives identified in the framework of this vision approach are as follows

1. to create more opportunities for young people in education and employment,
2. to promote full participation and access for all young people in society,
3. to promote mutual solidarity between young people and society.

In order to achieve these three main objectives, eight sub-strategic pillars have been identified. These are; education, employment, innovation and entrepreneurship, youth and the world, health and sports, participation, social inclusion, volunteering. (Manas Social Research Journal; The Role of Local Governments in Youth Policies and Practices, Issue 3, Volume 6 2017)

In terms of supporting youth participation, it is foreseen that young people should be included in decision-making mechanisms in schools, youth groups and society, be informed, resign from trainings for easier media opportunities, be encouraged to do volunteer work, receive project training to develop their ideas, and have the opportunity to choose to join political parties and issue-oriented organizations. The structures that support youth participation in this regard are youth assemblies, youth councils, youth forums, student councils, etc., and ensuring continuity rather than one-off meetings can ensure that young people make great progress in having a say and expressing themselves.

Future goals and expectations vary from person to person. The main thing is to what extent young people have a say in making these plans and to what extent the public and the state support young citizens in this process. Youth policies should aim to “educate” and “develop” young people.