Delivering the take part strand | Youth group

Key topics

• Why voting matters.
• Representation and who can vote.
• Political parties, candidates, manifestos and election campaigns.
• How voting and elections work.

Why the Take part strand matters in youth settings

As young people prepare for their first votes it is important that they understand how elections work and feel confident and prepared to participate.

Many young people feel disconnected from formal politics or question whether voting makes a difference. Youth spaces provide an opportunity to explore these views openly and connect elections to issues young people care about. Activities should be engaging, practical and adapted to different levels of political knowledge and confidence, with the aim of helping young people understand not only how elections work but to help them feel confident taking part.

My approach

• Start with discussion rather than information. Before explaining political parties or the voting process, explore what young people already think and feel about their everyday lives and politics. Sample questions include:
• What comes to mind when you think of politics?
• Why might young people be less likely to vote?
• Do you think your vote makes a difference?
• Start with the issues young people care about and make the connection to elections.
• Explore how decisions about education, employment, healthcare or the environment are influenced by elected representatives.
• From there, support young people to research candidates and manifestos using reliable and impartial sources, compare perspectives and make their own informed decisions.
• Give young people opportunities to experience voting themselves. Practical activities can make unfamiliar processes feel more accessible and manageable.
• Where young people are already voting on activities or decisions within the youth space, consider making the experience mirror a real election by using polling cards, ballot papers, polling booths and different roles.

If you can only do one thing…

• Support young people to register to vote if they are eligible. Registration is a quick, practical activity that can be added to discussions, games or activities across any of the strands.
• Supporting young people through the process removes a practical barrier and means they are ready to vote when the opportunity comes.

Where this fits into youth settings

Opportunities to explore elections and voting can be built into:

• Be intentional about timing: Discussions about voting shouldn’t just take place in the run-up to an election, but these periods can be great opportunities to engage the young people you work with about voting and the issues they care about in a way that links to current political events.
• Building on current conversations: Young people often discuss the world around them and how political issues are impacting their lives. Use this as a starting point to talk about elections and voting.
• Allow young people to vote on tangible decisions such as activities, trips, projects or group priorities.
• Before elections, practice the mechanics of voting with mock elections, debates, or polling activities.
• Voter registration activities: For young people that are engaged and looking to get more involved, help them to plan and carry out voter registration drives.

Everyday conversations and opportunities for collective decision-making can provide a natural starting point for exploring elections, voting and democratic participation. Build on young people's natural curiosity to foster their interest in elections and voting.

Key resources

Make sure to check out the Electoral Commission’s Welcome To Your Vote Week. This is a yearly event, usually in March, where young people are encouraged to learn about, and get involved in, democracy in the UK.

In the lead up to, and during, this week, the Electoral Commission promote and share a range of learning resources, activities and programmes to engage young people in democracy. These are available year-round, but the week itself is a good focus point in the year to spotlight learning about voting and elections..

Further to Welcome To Your Vote Week resources, you could also use the following…

If you have 30 minutes or less…

• Use short activities to start conversations about voting or introduce one practical part of taking part.
• The biscuit game, The Politics Project - From the At the table toolkit, this game provides an engaging introduction to collective decision-making and can lead into discussion about why and how we vote.
• The paper bin game, The Politics Project - Provides a quick, interactive way to introduce barriers to voting.
• Walking debate, part of the youth group activities: Discussing democracy, The Electoral Commission and Northern Ireland Youth Forum or Where do you stand? The Politics Project - Either of these activities can be used to get young people moving while sharing opinions and discussing different perspectives.
• #ElectionCountdown: Voter registration or Elections in your area, The Electoral Commission - Help young people find out whether they are registered, what elections are happening locally.

1 hour…

• Explore one part of the voting journey in more depth.
• Should I vote? National Development Team for Inclusion - This lesson covers whether to vote, helping young people understand different opinions and the issues important to them.
• How democracy works in your community - Welcome To Your Vote Week, The Electoral Commission or Conversation starters, The Electoral Commission - Use these short activities to explore attitudes towards voting and barriers to participation.
• #ElectionCountdown, The Politics Project - This resource can also be used flexibly to explore the stages of an election and the practical process of voting.
• #ElectionCountdown: Voter registration, The Politics Project - Alternatively take a practical focus and use this resource to support registration.
• Youth group activities: Discussing democracy, The Electoral Commission and  Northern Ireland Youth Forum - Or use selected activities to demystify the voting process and help young people understand what they need to do before and on polling day.

1–3 hours…

• With more time, focus on how young people can make an informed decision about who to vote for.
• Use Where do you stand? to explore young people’s existing political views.
• Making a decision, Who stands for what? or How to research a politician from The Politics Project - All can help young people explore the choices available to them and develop the skills to find information and make their own decisions.
• Welcome To Your Vote Week, The Electoral Commission - You can find additional resources here, and in the Youth group activities: Discussing democracy,  that practitioners can draw on to explore different aspects of elections and voting in more depth.

4-6 hours…

• Combine activities into a short programme or give young people an opportunity to put democratic participation into practice.
• #ElectionCountdown, The Politics Project - Contains activities exploring upcoming elections, voter registration and deciding who to vote for.
• Power and decision making: Run a referendum, The Electoral Commission - Alternatively, young people could plan and run a referendum or issue-based vote on something that genuinely matters within their youth space. Give them time to explore the issue and different perspectives, communicate the choices and make an informed decision before voting. Where the outcome influences a real decision, this also provides a natural link to the Youth Voice strand.
• Creating a voter registration campaign - Welcome To Your Vote Week, The Electoral Commission - Young people could also develop a voter registration campaign aimed at other young people.

6 hours plus…

• With more time, build on the activities above and give young people greater ownership and opportunities to put what they have learned into practice.
• #ElectionCountdown, The Politics Project - Young people can go further by researching parties, candidates and manifestos, comparing positions on issues they care about, fact checking and considering the reliability of different sources.
• They could also plan and deliver a longer referendum or issue-based vote or voter registration campaign - give them greater responsibility for planning and delivery, as well as building in opportunities to reflect on the impact of their work.

Considerations for learners with additional needs

• Use mock ballot papers, role-playing the voting process or setting up a mock polling station to make elections feel more familiar and reduce anxiety about voting for the first time.
• Use clear, accessible language and support understanding through images, symbols, videos and Easy Read resources where appropriate.
• Use United Response’s accessible resources, including sample Ballot paper and guidance on voting with additional support needs.
• FAQ voter registration and voter ID (Easy Read), Shout Out UK - An easy read guide about voter registration and voter ID.
• Support young people to create a voting passport where appropriate.
• Providing opportunities to practise the voting process and become familiar with the support available can ensure every young person feels prepared to vote independently.
• Be aware that some learners may have experienced exclusion, discrimination, coercion or distrust in relation to institutions. Acknowledge these experiences without assuming that all learners share them.
• Make the distinction between support and influence clear. Staff can help learners access information and complete procedural steps, but should not tell them which candidate or party to support.