The UK Youth Parliament have commended Foyle MP Mark Durkan for slamming other MPs who have suggested that 16-year-olds ‘would not be mature enough or wise enough to vote’ during a Westminster debate on the Voting Age (Reduction) Bill which calls on the government to lower the voting age to sixteen.

Andy Hamflett, Chief Executive of the UK Youth Parliament said:

“The UK Youth Parliament welcomes Mark Durkan’s support for lowering the voting age to 16 in the reading of the Voting Age (Reduction) Bill debate at the House of Commons.

“His support during this debate sends a very strong message that politicians from all parties are ready to start taking young people seriously; that there is an urgent need to reconnect young people to democracy, and lowering the voting age is a crucial step towards engaging them and building their trust in politics.

“Many of the young people with whom we work tell us time and again that politicians don’t listen to them enough and that, with proper citizenship education providing them with the appropriate background information, they would love to be able to vote. Mark’s support is a clear indication that there are politicians who do reach out to young people and signifies that there is a very real chance of success for votes at 16.”

Mr Durkan said:

“I very much appreciate that the UK Youth Parliament has expressed their gratitude for my support in this matter.

“I fully support the Voting Age (Reduction) Bill which is calling on the government to develop the necessary framework for reducing the voting age to 16.

“It is important for the entire democratic process that young people are given such an opportunity to vote at a key formative time in their lives – when they are forming habits of a lifetime.

“Those arguing against votes for 16-year-olds are suggesting that they would not be mature enough or wise enough to vote, and that they would not have a sophisticated enough interest in politics – exactly the arguments that were used against votes for women.

“The time is right to reduce the voting age

“16 is the age at which many of our young people start to make real decisions about their lives, and many significant rights come into play.

“Indeed, 16 and 17-year olds can pay taxes, join Armies and get married, so denying them a vote is simply inconsistent.

“As MPs, it is our duty to encourage political engagement among our young people – especially as it is currently at an all time low.

“Lowering the voting age could play a huge role in helping our young people to feel more connected with political processes and is the next logical extension for citizenship education occurring in our schools.”

Following today’s Foyle Women’s Aid AGM which highlighted the work of the organisation in dealing with 3,500 children in the Northwest, SDLP Councillor Helen Quigley has said that greater resources are needed immediately for children’s services – including for important organisations like Foyle Newpin – which are at crisis-point as their funding streams come to an end.

Cllr. Quigley said:

“I am deeply concerned about the future of our children’s services here in the Northwest.

“Important local organisations like Foyle Newpin are at crisis-point as their funding streams come to an end.

“Funding must be made available immediately for a proper children and young people’s service.

“The failure of the DUP/Sinn Fein led Executive to ring fence money for a dedicated Children’s Fund in the recent Programme for Government was extremely disappointing and I believe the wrong decision.

“It effectively ended the Children’s Fund which the SDLP strongly fought for in the last Assembly. We ensured that a Children’s Fund was created and a Children’s Strategy supported by a budget.

“I am therefore calling for the full reinstatement of the Executive’s Children’s Fund.

“Indeed, the Executive must prioritise and ring fence resources for the physical, emotional and mental well-being of our children.

“I cannot overemphasise the importance of early intervention for our children.

“If we invest in our children today we will undoubtedly prevent long-term difficulties in the future.”

This may interest SDLP Youth members
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Temporary Constituency post

Applications are invited by Carmel Hanna MLA for the post of Constituency Assistant in her busy South Belfast office for the duration of the summer holidays.

This position is particularly suitable for a student/ graduate seeking to gain some paid work experience.

Potential candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

· Identification with the party’s aims
· Excellent oral and written communication skills
· A capacity to deal with a wide diversity of constituents in a constructive and sensitive manner
· Reliability and the ability to work unsupervised
· Experience of office administration
· Strong IT skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Word & Excel and databases

Applications should be made by 5.00 pm on Thursday the 3rd of July through submission of your Curriculum Vitae.

Email:

carmelhannasdlp AT btconnect DOT com

Post:

Carmel Hanna MLA
South Belfast Constituency Office
393A Lisburn Road
Belfast
BT9 7EW

SDLP Youth today called on the Minister of Education Catriona Ruane to put in place new measures that will help struggling young teachers gain the vital experience needed to get jobs they badly need.

Speaking in response to the recent Assembly report which revealed that nearly 2,000 retired teachers have been re-employed as substitute teachers in the past academic year SDLP Youth University and Colleges Officer Malachy Quinn said “With so many young teachers out of full time work because they lack the proper teaching experience, I think it’s unacceptable that such a high number of retired teachers, of which over 1,500 have accepted redundancies, are getting jobs over young qualified teachers. I have nothing against retired teachers but with so few teaching jobs available it is getting near impossible for our young teachers to gain the experience they need in order to get full time positions in our schools. If we keep re-employing retired teachers over our new graduates how can we expect them to gain vital experience needed in a classroom if they are unable to get into one!”

“SDLP Youth call on the Minister of Education to look at different methods of employment to ensure that our young teachers gain the teaching experience they need in order to get a full time job. In Scotland new graduates are offered the guarantee of a year in work and I think that the Department of Education must look at different methods like this in order for our young teachers here to get ahead in the world of teaching, which means getting the experience they need.”

Members Notice-

Please note that the deadline for nomination to run for election to the SDLP Youth Executive is 5pm on 27th June 2008.

At the SDLP Youth conference to be held on 5th July 2008, the SDLP Youth Executive for 2008/09 will be elected and we are now inviting members of the party aged 30 and under to nominate themselves to run for the positions. The seven posts available are: Chair, Vice-Chair, Public Relations Officer, Campaigns Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, and Universities & Colleges Officer.

Members can put themselves forward for more than one position.

The election will take place between 10am and 1pm at the conference, with counting taking place in the afternoon and the results announced thereafter. The election will be operated using the PR-STV system. To be entitled to vote, you must be a paid-up 2008 party member, aged 30 and under, on 1st July 2008.

SDLP Youth has called on Irish language television channels and radio stations to broadcast on the digital free-to-view platform in Northern Ireland.

SDLP Youth Vice-Chair Peter Armstrong said: “The majority of households in Northern Ireland now receive digital free-to-view television and radio, yet we do not have any Irish broadcasters using the platform. This is a huge opportunity to boost the Irish language in the north of Ireland being missed.

“This is particularly relevant given the news this week that the Irish Language Broadcast Fund will be extended after 2009. It would be a much greater boost for the Irish language if people living in the north of Ireland were able to receive Irish television channels and radio stations, so they could actually watch Irish language programmes on TG4 and RTE and listen to Irish language radio stations.

“Northerners who want to watch RTE or TG4 currently have two options. They can fork out on cable TV services or have a special analogue aerial with signal-booster installed. These options are both expensive and inconvenient when people in the north have already invested in digital receivers for most television sets. The digital TV switchover in Northern Ireland is well underway and the old analogue TV services are to be switched off.

“There is nothing to prevent RTE, TV3, TG4, and other channels having broadcasting space on the Freeview system in Northern Ireland. It is not clear why they are not on there already, as it has been established that there is nothing to prevent them operating on digital free-to-view, and it would open up their channels to a completely new audience.”

The Student Movement in Northern Ireland - The National Union of Students (UK) and the Union of Students in Ireland - have commended SDLP Leader and Foyle MP Mark Durkan for being the only MP in Northern Ireland to support the Voting Age (Reduction) Bill – which calls on the government to lower the voting age to sixteen.

During a Westminster debate on the Bill, Mr Durkan slammed other MPs who have suggested that 16-year-olds would not be mature enough or wise enough to vote.

The Foyle MP said:

“I very much appreciate that the Student Movement in Northern Ireland has taken the time to write to me to express their gratitude for my support in this matter.

“I fully support the Voting Age (Reduction) Bill which is calling on the government to develop the necessary framework for reducing the voting age to 16.

“It is important for the entire democratic process that young people are given such an opportunity to vote at a key formative time in their lives – when they are forming habits of a lifetime.

“Those arguing against votes for 16-year-olds are suggesting that they would not be mature enough or wise enough to vote, and that they would not have a sophisticated enough interest in politics – exactly the arguments that were used against votes for women.

“The time is right to reduce the voting age

“16 is the age at which many of our young people start to make real decisions about their lives, and many significant rights come into play.

“Indeed, 16 and 17-year olds can pay taxes, join Armies and get married, so denying them a vote is simply inconsistent.

“As MPs, it is our duty to encourage political engagement among our young people – especially as it is currently at an all time low.

“Lowering the voting age could play a huge role in helping our young people to feel more connected with political processes and is the next logical extension for citizenship education occurring in our schools.”

Katie Morgan, President of the Student Movement (NUS-USI) in Northern Ireland, said:

“The Student Movement is very grateful for Mark Durkan’s backing on this matter.

“Indeed, the Foyle MP is the only one of our eighteen MPs who has voiced support for this Bill and we, as the student representative body of Northern Ireland, commend his support.

“We firmly believe that this Bill is a positive step forward in the empowerment of young people.”

SDLP Youth will take part in the upcoming demonstrations to protest at the visit of US President George W. Bush on Monday 16th June.

Announcing the decision to protest, SDLP Youth Campaigns Officer Liam McNulty said:

“As the party of civil rights we will not be welcoming the visit of a man whose contribution to rights and liberties includes the Patriot Act, illegal wiretapping, ‘extraordinary rendition’ of terrorist suspects and Guantanamo Bay.”

“We opposed the war in Iraq and believe that George Bush has unleashed a humanitarian disaster on the people of that country, has radicalised young men across Europe in a way which harms our own national security, has fundamentally damaged stability in the Middle East and has done untold damage to the global economy.”

“SDLP Youth puts great importance on social justice and we are resolutely opposed to Bush’s policies which can be summed up as tax breaks for the rich and tax burdens for the poor. For all their socialist rhetoric we are dismayed at the decision of Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to extend an invite to visit the North of Ireland to such a man.”

“We would call on any right-minded person to join us in our protest on Monday to oppose the President’s visit and for politicians to consult their consciences before extending the hand of friendship to a man many consider to be a war criminal.”

Dear Member,

As you may be aware, the inaugural SDLP Youth Annual Conference is taking place on Saturday 5th July from 10am to 4pm at the Wellington Park Hotel in Belfast. All party members are invited to the Conference, and we would ask you to confirm your attendance early.

The conference is an opportunity for SDLP Youth to debate motions, to formulate policy papers and decide our priorities and policies for the coming year. There will also be a closed session with the All Ireland Working Group.

At the conference, the SDLP Youth Executive for 2008/09 will be elected and we are now inviting members of the party aged 30 and under to nominate themselves to run for the positions. The seven posts available are: Chair, Vice-Chair, Public Relations Officer, Campaigns Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, and Universities & Colleges Officer.

The election will take place between 10am and 1pm at the conference, with counting taking place in the afternoon and the results announced thereafter. The election will be operated using the PR-STV system. To be entitled to vote, you must be a paid-up 2008 party member, aged 30 and under, on 1st July 2008.

The deadline for nomination to run for election to the Executive is 5pm on 27th June 2008. Members can put themselves forward for more than one position.

The deadline for submitting motions for conference is 21st June 2008.

If you wish to attend conference, run for election, or submit motions please contact Gavin Boyd on 028 9024 7700 or email gavin.boyd AT sdlphq DOT ie

Regards,

Gary McKeown_____________________________Peter Armstrong
Chair, SDLP Youth__________________________Vice-Chair, SDLP Youth

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Important Dates
Deadline for submitting motions 21st June 2008
Deadline for election nominations 27th June 2008 5pm
Deadline for paying membership 1st July 2008
Date of conference 5th July 2008

SDLP YOUTH CONFERENCE
5 JULY 10AM – 4PM
WELLINGTON PARK HOTEL BELFAST

SDLP Youth are holding their annual conference on the 5 July 2008 from 10am to 4pm in the Wellington Park hotel in Belfast.

All members under 30 are asked to make an effort to attend. The conference is an opportunity for SDLP Youth to debate motions, to formulate policy papers and decide our priorities and policies for the coming year.

Party members, young people who have expressed an interest in joining the Party, members from parties in the North and South and our European colleagues from ECOSY and IUSY have been invited.

All party members under 30 can submit motions. They must be submitted before 20 June to either 90 247700 (Gavin Boyd) or email gavin.boyd AT sdlphq DOT ie

All Party members under 30 can debate and vote on motions.

All those who have expressed an interest in joining the party can debate but not vote on motions.

All invited guests can nominate one speaker to speak on motions but cannot vote.

There is a closed session with the SDLP All-Ireland working group for all SDLP members under 30 from 4pm to 6pm.

Please confirm your attendance as soon as possible with Gavin Boyd on 90 247700 or email gavin.boyd AT sdlphq DOT ie