YOUNG people from Princetown Youth Club visited Parliament last Friday at the invitation of Geoffrey Cox, MP for West Devon and Torridge, as part of a democracy and empowerment project run by West Devon charity Westden. The group, aged from 11 to 16, took part in a series of workshops aimed at helping them understand who makes the decisions in society. The workshops, organised by Westden?s Communities in Action Project, included sessions with Dartmoor Forest Parish Council and the European Union, as well as a visit to a parish council meeting to hear a discussion about a skatepark for Princetown. This idea grew out of a meeting organised by ?Freesk8? ? a group of teenagers seeking to develop a skatepark in Princetown. Geri Laithwaite, from Westden?s Communities in Action Project, helped the young people write invitations to their MP, councillors, police and youth workers, to meet with them to discuss the possibility of a skatepark. Following the successful meeting, she felt it was important the young people had a better understanding of how to influence decision-making and developed the series of workshops as a pilot. Geri said: ?Where possible we have included role-play and interactive scenarios so that the young people understand how decisions are made. ?The concept of this project has come from my belief that we do not teach enough about governance. It is only when we understand ?who? and ?how? decisions are made that individuals and communities can begin to have any influence over them. ?This has been a successful pilot and we plan to run it in other areas of Devon for schools and youth clubs.? The young people will also take part in the planning applications needed for the skatepark and in the funding applications to raise the money for their new youth club. After the official hour long tour of the Palace of Westminster, Mr Cox took the group to a room so the children could have a discussion with him about his work and were invited to ask him questions. Issues raised included the question of lowering the voting age to 16 as the group said many 16 and 17 year-olds who work and pay tax have no say in elections and the democratic process. Pam Carter, youth worker from High Moorland Community Action, said: 'It has been a fantastic experience for the young people.'
