Transportation and standardized tests are top concerns at the Youth Democracy Festival

Ritstjórn

Human Rights School and recreation

A polling station was set up in a bus outside Harpa.
Two tenth-grade girls put ballots in a ballot box on a bus. This was part of the Youth Democracy Festival program

The Youth Democracy Festival took place at Harpa on November 29. The festival aims to give young people more opportunities for democratic participation. It encourages them to take a stand on social issues.

The Youth Democracy Festival is part of the People's Meeting in Reykjavík. Young people largely organize it. They choose which topics to focus on. At the festival, young people talk with various groups. These include political parties, institutions, NGOs and others they select to participate. Reykjavík City and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor support the festival. The Ministry of Education and Children also contributed this time.

The target audience is young people aged 14 to 25. Younger and older participants are also welcome. The festival includes discussion meetings, workshops and other non-traditional events. Almannaheill, a third sector organization, prepared the festival. Volunteers and organizers came from its member associations.

Young people at the Youth Democracy Festival in Harpa. They sit in a hall with hands raised to vote between issues.

Interesting voting results on the bus

About 130 tenth-grade students from four Reykjavík schools attended. These were Sæmundarskóli, Ingunnarskóli, Tjarnarskóli and Víkurskóli. First, young people heard a lecture on the importance of taking a stand. They then experienced how difficult it can be to take a position, especially on unfamiliar issues. Next, participants spoke at discussion tables with help from moderators. Topics included standardized tests and secondary school admission requirements, phone-free schools, lowering the voting age to 16, and transport issues like the bus and the CityLine. Finally, young people voted at a polling station set up in a bus outside Harpa. They didn't vote for political parties even with the upcoming parliamentary elections. Instead, they voted on which discussed topic mattered most to them. The results were interesting:

38 votes - Transport issues

37 votes - Standardized tests

22 votes - Voting eligibility

11 votes - Phone-free school

The festival went very well. The Reykjavík Youth Council actively participated. Organizers believe this format can be built on in coming years.

Summary of the 2024 Youth Democracy Festival.

Young people line up at a bus outside Harpa. It was set up as a polling station for the Youth Democracy Festival.