Since the beginning of time, young people have been motivated by change.

As a young person, it is very clear that our society is not built around our needs. Decisions are often made without young voices even being listened to. It is my belief that the only way to bring about change is by having a seat at the table where decisions are made.

As a youth parliamentarian, I have sought to bridge the gap between generations by sharing what I hear from young people with decision-makers. Whilst I feel this has been effective, there is more work to be one to ensure that young people engage in civic society.

In my opinion, there are three key steps we must take to do this.  

Firstly, we need to change the tone of our politics and create a protected environment for young people to engage. Our political discourse has become far too divided, young people refrain from discussing topical issues with others for fear of those discussions descending into heated arguments.

In decision-making chambers across the country, these heated arguments have been described as 'robust political debate' in order to protect those who have built their brand based on a Machiavellian principle of fear.

If young people are to engage in civic society then we must change the tone of our politics and make it more attractive by endorsing the principle that it is possible to disagree respectfully.

Secondly, we need to make public consultation young person-friendly. Community councils, held exclusively in-person on a weekday evening, with agendas that have more bullet points than human beings present, are ineffective at attracting young people, in part, due to meetings lasting several hours. These meetings should be held online and times of the meetings should vary to suit a younger audience.

Public consultations which contain many words and very few proposals related to young people are manipulated to justify decisions that have already been made, giving people the inaccurate impression that their voice is being listened to.

If young people are to engage in civic society we need to regulate the word count of these consultations and limit the number of questions that can be asked in any given survey.

Finally, we need to ensure that young people have a seat at the table where decisions are made. Young people should be present on public bodies, young people should be present on committees and boards and young people should be present on the interview panels for any jobs related to youth work or education.

If young people are to engage in civic society then we need to ensure that their opinion is heard and their recommendations carry weight. This will lead to decisions being made with the interests of young people in mind.

Whist these three steps may seem bold and somewhat unrealistic, we must not be afraid to challenge conventions and the status quo.

Let's change the tone of our politics, make consultation young person-friendly, and give young people a seat at the table.