Don't tweet at me! - HeadsUp forum report, June 21, 2010
Young people want face-to-face contact with politicians and
a two-way discussion on social media.
www.headsup.org.uk
Young people on the HeadsUp.org.uk forum Politics
and Politicians...what needs to change? place as much importance on face-to-face
contact as they do on digital forms of engagement with politicians. Forum users
said that digital engagement is good if used properly, but it is not a
replacement for "actually getting out and about and talking".
Users of HeadsUp.org.uk,
which came runner up in the Empowering
Young People and Citizens category at the 2010 Nominet Internet Awards,
insisted that genuine engagement was very important to them, but only if their
ideas and suggestions were listened to and taken into account. Although some
expressed a preference for face-to-face engagement, most also accepted that if digital
engagement was welcome if it was a two way dialogue:
I think it's good for MPs to have these [social media]
accounts as a means of younger people getting into contact with them. However
if they don't make an effort to take into account what people say to them or
listen to any suggestions then it isn't really worth it - it shouldn't just be
about who has the most followers on Twitter.
MPs should be out and about talking to people. It would make
me feel as though the MPs are actually listening to what we have to say and
means that their answers are more genuine, instead of being carefully thought
out and re-read as they would be in a letter or blog post.
As much as I think it would be useful for politicians and
MPs to have Facebook and Twitter as something to complement their contact with
the public and young people in general, I also think it should be just that - a
way to back up usual communication.
The full forum report for Politics and Politicians...what
needs to change? is
available to download here. The forum, which ran from 21 June - 9 July,
allowed young people to discuss these issues with Peers, new MPs, shadow and
serving Ministers.
HeadsUp is an
online debating space for 11-18 year-olds, run by the independent and
non-partisan Hansard Society,
to enable young people to discuss their views on political issues with their
peers and influential decision-makers. It aims to build levels of political
awareness and participation so that young people can play an effective role in
the democratic processes affecting their lives. HeadsUp is also a space that
politicians and political parties can use to consult with young people and find
out their ideas, experiences and opinions.
Beccy Allen, HeadsUp Project Manager said:
"This forum saw 20 decision-makers get involved - a record
for this project! It's important that this enthusiasm is maintained as this
forum shows they want an ongoing dialogue with their representatives. Whether
through twitter or face-to-face, the important thing is that there is genuine,
two-way interaction and that young people feel they are part of the
conversation."
For more information please contact Kate Egglestone, k.egglestone@hansard.lse.ac.uk
or 020 7438 1210
Editors' Notes
HeadsUp (http://www.headsup.org.uk/content/)
is an innovative website where 11-18s debate political issues and learn about
the political process. The site is a non-partisan, cross-party educational
resource that provides a secure, structured and student-centred discussion
platform.
HeadsUp was runner up in the Empowering
Young People and Citizens category at the 2010 Nominet Internet Awards - recognising
best practice use of the internet.
Two ways to register to participate in HeadsUp:
Young People - If you are 11-18 and want to get in on the
action you need to complete the Student Sign
Up Form.
Teachers/youth workers - can register a whole class/school
year/group by completing our Teachers
Registration Form.
All HeadsUp forums are open to be viewed and the debate
followed by the public. Participants need to register or login to post comments
(11-18s and supporting teachers/youth workers only).
The project is part-funded by the House of Commons.
There are currently 1,037 schools and youth organisations
registered on HeadsUp.
A record number of
decision makers took part in this forum:
Lord Adebowale - cross-bench Peer
Lord Alton of Liverpool - crossbench Peer
Ed Balls MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Anne Begg MP - MP for Aberdeen South
Luciana Berger MP - MP for Liverpool Wavertree*
Philip Davies MP - MP for Shipley
Lord Faulkner of Worcester - Labour Peer, Deputy Speaker of
the House of Lords.
Andy Hamflett - UK Youth Parliament
Baroness Hamwee - Liberal Democrat Peer and the spokesperson
for the Home Office in the House of Lords.
Charles Hendry MP - Minister of State at the Department for
Energy and Climate Change
Sheila Gilmour MP - MP for Edinburgh East*
Lord Goodhart - Liberal Democrat Peer
Julie Hilling - MP for Bolton West*
Margaret Hodge MP - MP for Barking and the Shadow Minister
for Culture, Media and Sport.
John Howell MP - MP for Henley
Julian Huppert MP - MP for Cambridge*
Anas Sawar MP - MP for Glasgow Central*
Karl Turner MP - MP for Hull East*
*New
MP