Engaging your unit with the general election

Date: 13th Jun 2024 Author: Rebecca

By Emily Arrowsmith

 

Ahead of the general election, you might be looking for ways to engage your unit with democracy. Young women aged between 18 and 24 are the least likely to vote. It’s so important that the voices of girls and young women are heard in this election. For some Rangers, this might be their first election and first formal interaction with politics and democracy.

Often politics and democracy can seem far removed from the lives of young people, from the language used by politicians to the physical distance between young people and places like Westminster. To make it engaging, it can be helpful to make politics real for them. For example, the role that local government plays in public transport, or their access to greenspace and the role of national government in how much food at the shops cost. Talking to your unit about democracy and voting might seem like a tricky conversation to have, but there are lots of resources out there to help you.

  • YoungScot’s UK General Election 2024 landing page has all the information that young people need to vote in the general election. From explaining what a general election is, to how to vote on the day, including important information on voter ID and how to ensure you have the correct form of ID.
  • The Electoral Commission has online resources specifically for engaging young people covering different government bodies including UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament and local councils. There’s also support for young people about registering to vote. There’s still time for young people to do this, they have until 18 June to register.
  • Just one more moment” – a free UMA available to download from the Girlguiding shop, explores the role of lobbying in Parliament and encourages Rangers to practise influencing others. Rangers role-play as MPs and lobbyists, lobbyists pitch their ideas hoping to gain votes from the MPs.
  • Last year, I developed a challenge pack called Step Up, Be Bold, and Lead, which 112 young women across Edinburgh took part in. I wanted to encourage Guides and Rangers across Edinburgh to think about how their voices matter and how they can get involved with politics. This pack explores women in political leadership, debating skills, manifesto writing and how they can encourage their peers to register to vote.

Download the Step Up, Be Bold and Lead Challenge Pack.

Girls take what they do in guiding with them as they grow up. Everything from working in a team, to taking the lead, to speaking out on issues they care about. It helps them develop the skills and confidence to become the young women they want to be. ’