Around 100 children and young people are involved in the Marburg Children and Youth Parliament (KiJuPa). The members are elected every two years at the Marburg schools. During his visit, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz will take part in a session of the Children’s and Youth Parliament – and exchange ideas with the young people. Also present at the conversation Let Wenceslaus, Magdalena Hescher and Liam Neurath. Lasse Wenzel, 15 years old, has been chairman of KiJuPa for a year. He has been involved for six years. Magdalena Hescher, 19, has been deputy chairwoman for five years. She has been active at KiJuPa for ten years. Liam Neurath is 16 years old and has been involved in the district youth parliament for three years.
Question: What are your expectations of the Chancellor’s visit?
Lasse: We look forward to his visit. I hope for a dialogue at eye level. And I would think it would be great if he was interested in our topics and took them seriously. Above all, I think it is important that we can show him with our parliament in Marburg which functioning formats there are in cities for child and youth participation.
How did your involvement in the Children and Youth Parliament come about?
Lasse: I’ve been at it since third grade. At that time, there was advertising for the children’s and youth parliament at school, which spoke to me directly. I also had a specific issue. It bothered me and many others that there weren’t any lines drawn on our soccer field, there wasn’t even a goal line. Because I wanted to change that, I ran for election and that’s how I got into the Children’s and Youth Parliament. I submitted an application there, which was accepted. And then at the end there were lines on the soccer field. The sense of achievement has shown me that you can really achieve something. And because I really enjoyed the commitment, I applied to be chairman.
Magdalena: My brother was already active in the children’s and youth parliament two years before me. That’s how I got to know this form of commitment. For me, too, a specific reason was decisive: I really wanted to get a street lamp set up on a rather gloomy path near my home. Because it was pretty scary when you had to walk there. So I campaigned for such a street lamp through the Children and Youth Parliament. It was never built because it is a private road. But precisely because I find it so important to get involved and make a difference, I stuck with it.
Liam: For me it came through my family. Almost everyone is politically involved. And when I had the opportunity to get involved in the youth parliament at district level, I took the opportunity straight away.
The Children and Youth Parliament Marburg has its own budget of around 6,000 euros per year. The children and young people have the right to speak in the city council meeting. Applications can also be submitted there. These are then discussed, discussed and voted on in the responsible committees and the city council. The KiJuPa meets seven times a year and the meetings are open to the public.
Which political issues do you mainly deal with?
Magdalena: At the beginning of a legislative period there is always an introductory trip. The members of the KiJuPa also discuss together which content-related priorities we want to set. These are primarily environmental protection, school, transport and everything to do with climate change. The individual applications then often arise on a case-by-case basis.
Lasse: The special thing about us is above all that the topics are not determined “from above”. But that children and young people can contact us directly if something is bothering them.
In your opinion, how can we get more young people to get involved in politics?
Lasse: First of all, the participation of children and young people in all cities should not be an option, but a must. By that I mean that there must definitely be opportunities for young people everywhere to get involved in political processes. And that they are actually listened to. Of course, especially when it comes to topics that affect them directly, such as recommendations on the amount of pocket money. This is the case here in Marburg, where children and young people and their concerns are taken seriously. And as far as the will to get involved is concerned, I think it would make sense to do more advertising for formats such as children’s and youth parliaments everywhere in schools, for example in politics lessons. A lot of people don’t even know that such a thing even exists.
Magdalena: We in Marburg have also had good experiences with the team members who support us. These are students and the youth education officer, who support you pretty well in the children’s and youth parliament. They also take away the shyness of speaking in front of a larger group. We speak to the city council once a year. That’s something special when you appear in front of adult politicians.
You are already familiar with parliamentary work. Do you want to become politically active full-time later?
Magdalena: I definitely want to continue to be politically active. In what form, I don’t know at the moment. I’m having a hard time committing myself to one party. Here in the Children’s and Youth Parliament, it’s about non-partisan work, it’s about the issues of children and young people. I see that as an advantage.
Liam: It is already clear to me that I will continue to get involved. In what way, I don’t know yet.
Lasse: I would like to become a professional politician, that is currently my goal. But whether that really happens remains to be seen. Because firefighters used to be my dream job. Then that changed. But it is clear to me that I am intensively involved in politics.
The establishment of children’s and youth parliaments is primarily a matter for the municipalities. However, the federal government would like to strengthen the municipal participation of children and young people as well as nationwide networking and qualification. In order to achieve this, the federal government is supporting the initiative “Strong children’s and youth parliaments”. She is part of youth strategy the federal government.
