A motion was put forward in Tynwald last week for a youth parliament in the island.

As a member of the United Nations Association, young people of the island have a right to be heard and freely express their opinions on matters that will directly affect them now and in the future.

Tanya Marie August-Hanson, the MLC who put the motion forward, said the idea received an ’overwhelming level of support’. Hopefully it means the island may finally let its young people be more independent and encourage them to take an interest and engage in political issues that impact them.

I agree with her that this move would give young adults the chance to represent their peers and give them a taste as to what actual Tynwald debates are like and engage with the political process including the challenging tasks and debates.

Ms August-Hanson said she had spoken to many students who feel under-represented in Tynwald. And she said political participation was not very high for younger voters, reaching heights of 64% in the Ramsey area.

Many countries already have youth parliaments such as Turkey, Belgium, Czech Republic and Sweden, and the island could and should follow in their footsteps.

In Scotland, the youth parliament is a charity set up in 1999 that comprises elected members aged 14 to 25. Some 80,000 young people voted in the last election.

It provides a national platform for young people to discuss the issues that are important to them, and campaigns to bring into effect the change they wish to see.

It provides members with a real perspective of how government works. This is important as younger generations are the future of the island and the next generation of politicians .

Student-led elections provide a taste for voting and knowledge about voting for later on in life.

Young people are just as mature and knowledgeable as adults and can be just as interested and passionate about live issues in politics such as abortion and legalising marijuana.

Junior Tynwald, which represents the island’s secondary schools by letting students have a go at being members of the house for a morning each year, is not enough work to support younger people.

It only takes into account the views of a minority of young people and they only meet once every year, which is not enough time to address the issues. A youth parliament is a good idea and I hope that Tynwald supports it.

â?¢ Sam Gill is a year 10 student at St Ninian’s High School. He completed a week’s work experience at Isle of Man Newspapers.