The best way to engage young people in politics is by choosing leaders that can represent and inspire them.
The best way to engage young people in politics is by choosing leaders that can represent and inspire them.
The Woman Post | Carolina Rodríguez Monclou
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Despite we often look at political parties using youth engagement as a panacea to get more votes and volunteers to win effectively, this has not been the case for these five females. Young politicians who have become public figures to defend a cause that they believe in or seriously invest in their country's growth.
The Woman Post has chosen five politicians from different countries who took the brave decision to take action and solve the issues that concern them.
1. Sanna Marin
Marin became Finland's youngest prime minister. The Politician heads a coalition government of five parties led by women, four under 35 years of age. When the press asked her what did she feel being able to lead the country at 34 years old, she replied, "I've never thought on my age or my gender, but in the reasons why I joined politics and gained the trust of the Finland population in the elections."
2. Mhairi Black
Black became a British Member of Parliament (MP) from Scotland at 20 in 2015. In an interview with Channel 4 News, Black claimed, "who came up with the rule that you have to be a middle-aged, middle-class male to be in the House of Commons?". Her journey began at the grassroots of the campaign for independence. Within months she would become the youngest MP in 200 years.
3. Ebba Hermansson
At 22, Hermansson became the youngest deputy in the Swedish Parliament and the spokesperson for gender equality of this party. Shortly after being elected, she expressed that one of her main concerns is to keep women "safe from sexual violence." Hermansson is a politician of the Sweden Democrats. Sweden is one of the countries with the highest rate of sexist violence in the world. For this reason, she uses her voice to protect and defend the women of her country.
Also read: THE 5 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN ON THE GLOBE
4. Chloe Swarbrick
Swarbrick was elected to the parliament of New Zealand at 23 years old. She became viral for her quote, "okay, boomer." The young Politician is very open about her thoughts and points of view, which has been considered problematic for some people. According to Panampost, Swarbrick regretted the victory of Donald Trump in the United States and said he hopes that "in New Zealand, the left will be strengthened to avoid these negative changes."
5. Nagua Alba
The Egyptian-Spanish Politician was elected to Spain's parliament at age 25 in 2015, becoming the first Arab descent member. The graduate in psychology ended up being part of the party's social network team called Revelation of Spanish democracy. Alba describes herself as an activist who has always participated in student movements. The Politician enjoys interacting with citizens and listening to the youth.
According to Amelia Womack, the youngest ever deputy leader of a UK political party, under 35s are underrepresented and tend not to vote. Womack says, "young people don't think that politicians represent them or that policies don't relate to them." With a stronger education in the school system, when young people reach voting age, they can feel educated and empowered to participate in politics. These five female leaders are a crucial step to accept diversity in parliaments.
