In the autumn of the 2023 election year, 80 young people from different backgrounds will debate a national future topic and present their recommendations to politicians and the public. UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein is supporting this important participatory project as a member of the Future Council U24’s thematic commission.
Democracy relies on people contributing their views to politics. This calls for new forms of political participation in Switzerland as well, as the participation of young people in elections and referendums is at a low level. Young people are under-represented in politics. At the same time, however, it is they who spend the longest living with the long-term consequences of political decisions. The Future Council U24 wants to make up this democratic deficit by giving young people and young adults in Switzerland a new kind of political voice and an opportunity to influence the country’s political future. It is the first national citizens’ council for a specific age group that selects its participants by lot.
Unique selection process by lot and approximate representativeness
Each of the 80 seats represents around 10,000 of the 800,000 or so young people in Switzerland between the ages of 16 and 24. At the heart of the Future Council U24 project is a unique selection process, with participants chosen by lot: 20,000 randomly selected people are contacted and offered the chance to apply to participate in the Future Council U24. The Future Council U24 sees itself as an innovative, inclusive platform for promoting active democratic participation. Through a participatory process, the council draws up concrete solutions and recommendations for a topic chosen by young people and young adults. Five potential topics of discussion for the Future Council will be presented to the public today at a press conference. Which future topic will the young population opt for?
Switzerland already has a network of youth parliaments that are actively involved at the cantonal and national level. The Future Council U24 sees itself as a new, complementary format designed to appeal to young people who do not want or are unable to participate in the already established structures. Its aim is to bring together participants who are approximately representative of the entire young population of Switzerland. At the heart of the Future Council U24 is the selection of participants by lot, the key feature distinguishing it from existing formats. “With this approach, we want to create a representative cross-section of the Swiss population, in this case young people, and aim to raise awareness among young people who to date have had little or no engagement with politics”, says Nicolas Mathieu, Secretary General of the Swiss Commission for UNESCO.
Participants are not required to have any previous political involvement or political knowledge.
Open call highlights the most important concerns of Swiss young people
The pioneering project was launched with a national open call at the end of January 2023. Young people and young adults were able to contribute topics that they believe the Future Council should address. More than 700 submissions were received from all over Switzerland, showing just how diverse and relevant young people’s concerns are. “We are impressed at how considered and convincing many of the ideas are”, says Che Wagner, co-project manager of the Future Council U24. A thematic commission made up of youth organizations and national representatives from academia, administration and politics carefully examined the submissions and is today presenting the five key concerns of Swiss young people to the public. Young people in Switzerland see the greatest need for action in the following areas: mental health, education to promote equal opportunities, socially acceptable sustainability, migration and cohesion, and democratic participation. Young people now have the final say over the choice of topic. In a final step, 20,000 randomly selected young people and young adults will pick their favorite from among these top five, as well as being invited to apply to participate in the Future Council U24. The definitive allocation of seats on the Future Council will take place in summer 2023. The opening weekend of the Council will take place on 9 September 2023.
Broad-based project partnership
The project is sponsored by the Swiss Commission for UNESCO and the Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG), and is supported by other partners. Pro Futuris, the think + do tank of the SSCG, is responsible for project implementation. As a member of the Future Council U24’s thematic commission, UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein discussed the topics submitted by young people with the other members from the fields of academia, civil society and politics. The commission then defined the five key topics that are now available for selection.
All information: www.zukunfts-rat.ch
Media inquiries: medien@zukunfts-rat.ch
Direct contact for information: Che Wagner, Co-Project Manager, che.wagner@zukunfts-rat.ch, +41 76 230 75 29
Media kit: https://bit.ly/zukunftsratu24_mediakit_de