Youth_and_politics-Banner-1330x426

Youth and politics – is it a match?

Listen to the full podcast episode and subscribe on

Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on RSS

Are young people today interested in politics? Surveys show that the answer is yes. Eighty-five percent of Europeans under 30 say that they discuss politics with friends and relatives. Yet on election day, less than half of them turn out to vote – be it in local, national, or European elections. 

In this episode we ask three young voices from the political world how we can increase Generation Z's participation in politics. What role does social media play? What is the right voting age? And how do we get more young people to enter politics?

This episode comes from a Nordic Talks event hosted by the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania.

 

“Voting is a privilege (…) a lot of people are dying in the fight for democracy.” 

Louise Thomsen, a member of Denmark's Copenhagen City Council,

This podcast episode features the following speakers

Emilia Uljas promokuva

Emilia Uljas (Finland)

Emilia Uljas is a student at Helsinki University and represents Finland as an EU Youth Delegate. She is a columnist and commentator on politics and society on the Finnish national broadcaster YLE’s live morning TV show and is the youngest panelist in the show's history. Previously Emilia was the Chair of the Finnish National Union of Upper Secondary School Students.

 

Louise_Theilade_Thomsen

Louise Thomsen (Denmark)

Louise Thomsen is a member of Copenhagen City Council and of Denmark's Liberal Party (Venstre). She has extensive political experience from her time in Venstre's youth wing and has worked on international democracy projects, particularly focusing on engaging young people in politics. Louise recently completed her master’s degree in international business and politics at Copenhagen Business School.

 

Jovydas Juocevičius

Jovydas Juocevičius (Lithuania)

Jovydas Juocevičius is an advisor to the Seimas, Lithuania's legislative assembly, and a member of Prienai District Municipality Council. He studied political science in the UK and returned to Lithuania to pursue a career in politics. In the recent municipal elections, he became the youngest mayoral candidate in Lithuania’s history when he ran for election as mayor of the Prienai District, where he was also born and raised.