Michael Sani FRSA is inviting Fellows to join and help shape a new Civic Engagement Network. Here he outlines the need for this community for change and what he hopes it can achieve.
What a time it is for politics, what a time it is for young citizens.
With estimates as high as 72% turnout of 18-24 year olds in last week’s General Election, we need to look outside any result you were hoping for and consider the real win here: people are seeing more than ever that politics can bring about change. The real win lies with the young electorate who turned up, bringing diversity to our democracy.
Now it’s time to build upon this energy and grow this movement for more and better democracy.
Imagine a continuously growing electorate that have the skills and values needed to demand transparency, hold parliament and the government to account with representation of all ages, classes, cultures and genders driving the solutions to the political issues they care about.
We want to collaborate with Fellows to create a community for change which can help sustain and grow this energy and turn ideas into action – join us
My name is Michael Sani and I am a co-founder of Bite The Ballot, a charity that empowers young and socially excluded citizens to lead change in our society. Under my leadership, Bite The Ballot has grown from a lunchtime club in one school to a national movement. For the past four years I have been working with Kenny Imafidon, co-founder of ClearView Research, a youth-led consultancy that provide specialist research services and produce solution-focused recommendations. Together we have been at the forefront of some fantastic campaigns that have included world record breaking voter registration drives and changes in policy and legislation to increase civic engagement.
Help us shape a new Civic Engagement Network: complete this form or contact networks@rsa.org.uk to register your interest before Friday 28 July.
With the support of the RSA, Kenny and I would like to invite Fellows to work with us to develop a new Fellow-led Network for Civic Engagement. The aims are simple:
- to ensure the recent record levels of civic engagement are sustained and grow
- to enrich democratic debate by including diverse voices
- to increase participation in the change-making process
How will the new Fellow-led Network achieve this?
We’d like to work with Fellows to find this out! We’re interested in investigating the root causes of poor civic engagement and working together to find potential solutions. We have some ideas and experience – but we want to hear your thoughts.
Open to all who have an interest in or work in democratic engagement, we will launch the Network in the autumn of 2017. We hope the Network will be action focused and a place for us to learn from each other and collaborate.
We’re excited to harness the wealth of experience and knowledge within the RSA Fellowship and to seize this opportunity for change – and we need your input.
Get in touch to join the Network mailing list or to take part in the creation of this Network before Friday 28 July: networks@rsa.org.uk
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That figure for youth voting was Fake News. It would be better not to begin an activity based on a false premise. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40220032
YouGov put turnout by 18-19 year olds at 57% and 20-24 year olds at 59%. And that is only of those registered. Many more were not registered. https://yougov.co.uk/news/2017/06/13/how-britain-voted-2017-general-election/
Young people understand that voting is irrelevant. That does not mean they are not engaged or active in communities. Many people who vote believe that is the start and end of their civic engagement. Many who do not vote play a huge role in civic society.
I think you need to be clear if this is about civic engagement or voting as the two are barely related.
Civic engagement could include
letter writing
picketing
demonstrating
volunteering
intervening
raising charitable funds
donating to charity
sitting on committees
being a school governor (only when your kids are not at that school)
being a union rep
writing letters and emails for non-English speaking neighbours
complaining
complaining on behalf of someone less able to complain
I could go on.
Civic engagement is not waddling down the voting booth once every five years to mark an scrap of paper.
Hi Chris,
I am unsure why you assume this Civic Engagement network would solely look at voting?
It wouldn't. Voting is one part of being an active citizen and an important part but there is far more. Some of which you have listed.
Try telling those whose lives have changed as a result of legislation or party policy that voting doesn't matter. Come and see some of the communities that believe voting is pointless and look at the lack of attention they get from those in power. You are however entitled to your opinion.
Myself and Kenny are solution focussed social entrepreneurs. We're calling for others who want to play an active role in positively influencing democracy, civic engagement and the well-being of society at large. If you can bring solutions to the problems you kindly state - please join us.
The impression given in the text is that this is about voter registration and participation. Then there is the fact that you are from an organisation called Bite the Ballot and lists voter registration campaigns as a success.
You also listed the first priority as: to ensure the recent record levels of civic engagement are sustained and grow.
If you meant voter turnout then it wasn't very high - not has low as when Blair was Prime Minister, but still nowhere near record levels. If it was non-voting civic engagement then I'd still be wary that there were record levels, though I'd be happy to be proved wrong.
I suspect a lot of people think their civic engagement duty begins and ends with voting. Broadcasters certainly ignore non-voting civic engagement.
You did not include an examples other than voter registration and voting and you based those on false statements that had already been disproved.
Pro-democracy propagandists bend the facts like anyone else to promote their cause.
You said: "With estimates as high as 72% turnout of 18-24 year olds in last week’s General Election, we need to look outside any result you were hoping for and consider the real win here: people are seeing more than ever that politics can bring about change. The real win lies with the young electorate who turned up, bringing diversity to our democracy."
That wasn't true, was it? There was not a 72% turnout among young people was there? The evidence that there wasn't had been provided before you posted this, hadn't it?
Had it been a genuine mistake or a misunderstanding I feel sure you would have corrected it or apologised for your error. But you haven't.
Here are some facts:
Electorate that did not vote: 31.3%
Winning party secured 29.2% of electorate
Electorate: 46,843,896
Turnout: 68.7%
Proportion of electorate that did not vote: 31.3%
Proportion of electorate that voted for the winning party: 29.2%
Proportion of the electorate that voted for the two main parties: 82.4%
Proportion of the electorate that voted for Tory/DUP (government): 43.3%
Population: 65,511,098
Population unable to vote: 18,667,202
Proportion of population entitled to vote: 71.5%
Proportion of population that voted: 49.1%
Proportion of population that voted for the winning party: 20.8%
proportion of population that voted for the two main parties: 40.5%
Proportion of population that voted for Tory/DUP (government): 21.3%
More than half the population did not vote. If the project is going to look at equally the 51% of the population not covered by elections then I'd be happy to be involved. But we have to start from the basis of facts, not propaganda.
There is a wealth of civic engagement being done by non-voters - the support that sprung up around the Grenfell fire tragedy is testament to that. The democratically elected bodies universally responded badly and were the primary cause of the fitting of flammable materials to the tower block, despite warning after warning from the tenants' group.
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your comments, which we will bear in mind. We're seeking input into the direction and future activities of the network so at this early stage the topic with which it is concerned is deliberately broad. We hope you will be able to join us at the first network event to share your thoughts. If you'd like to keep up to date with the next steps, please complete this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_Ow9CHX-jro9YVUrXa-9D0dfPtjSd2jgKT5uG90ZZcc/edit
Thanks and best,
Charlotte Bayley
RSA London Area Manager