ARCHIV - 22.03.2022, Berlin: Astrid-Sabine Busse (SPD), Senatorin für Bildung, Jugend und Familie, spricht während der Pressekonferenz nach einer Sitzung des Berliner Senats. Busse hat eine Offensive für die politische Bildung junger Menschen angekündigt. (zu dpa: Berlin will politische Bildung junger Menschen stärken) Foto: Annette Riedl/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++

Berlin’s youth senator Astrid-Sabine Busse (SPD) has announced an offensive for the political education of young people in the city. It should start against the background of the planned lowering of the voting age in the state parliament elections to 16 this summer, as the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family announced on Friday.

Representatives of various youth organisations, associations and committees have been invited to the kick-off meeting on July 5th. Buses also wants to take part in this. “It’s about talking about and promoting the participation of young people in a parliamentary democracy,” said the senator.

Further working meetings as part of the “Youth. Makes. Democracy.” will then be held at regular intervals.

Among other things, according to the Senate administration, the question is whether future legislative proposals should be subjected to a mandatory “youth check”, i.e. whether it must be clarified in advance what effects new laws will have on the younger generation.

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The meetings will be chaired by State Secretary for Youth Aziz Bozkurt and the Chairwoman of the State Youth Council, Ramona Hinkelmann. “The initiative “Youth. Makes. Democracy.” is a great opportunity for more intergenerational justice, innovation and participation in Berlin,” said Bozkurt.

“We want to give young people a lobby, promote political education as a key to participation and work strategically to ensure that the interests of young people are heard more.”