Date
07.2023Youngsters: go vote
#ConVozyVoto will promote the co-creation of political proposals to incorporate into the agendas of the parties and the new legislature.
July 4th, 2023. Harmon, in collaboration with the youth organization Talento para el Futuro (Talent for the Future) and the think-tank Political Watch, with the institutional support of the Spanish Youth Council, has launched the campaing #ConVozyVoto, the first project aimed at encouraging youth participation and reducing abstention levels in the general elections on July 23. The initiative is supported by retired political leaders from a broad ideological spectrum, such as Joaquín Almunia, Celia Villalobos, Leire Pajín, and Begoña Villacís.
Young people (18 to 29 years old) voted 6.6% less than adults in the last general elections of 2019, according to the latest data from INJUVE. Additionally, the abstention rate among young voters is higher than in any other age group; in some elections, it has been up to 15 points higher than other age brackets. The main causes, according to all studies, are disenchantment with politics, the feeling that their vote will not matter, or the absence of specific proposals for them.
#ConVozyVoto aims to rekindle young people’s interest in participating in public debate and encourage them to reconnect with politics and institutions. “We want to fight against disenchantment and low participation, highlighting the importance of voting as an acquired right, but also as a great responsibility,” says Elsa Arnáiz, president of Talento para el Futuro.
To achieve this, an awareness campaign has been launched through social media, featuring a video with former political leaders such as Leire Pajín (former Minister of Health, Social Policy, and Equality), Celia Villalobos (former Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs), Joaquín Almunia (former Vice President of the European Commission, former Minister, and former Secretary General of the PSOE), and Begoña Villacís (former Deputy Mayor of Madrid), reflecting on the role of the right to vote in our democracy. This series of videos was produced with KUBBO.
The project is supported by more than 20 civil society organizations that work to promote citizen and youth participation, such as OsOigo, FAD Juventud, the Spanish Association Against Cancer, BLab Spain, Cámara Cívica, Ideas En Guerra, the Felipe Gonzalez Foundation, Gobierno Transparente, Demos Lab, Café Universal, Equipo Europa, JEF Spain, Voz Paralela, Voice(ES), RIPO Spain, Factoría de Talento, Human Up, Quiero., NESI Forum, SYLO, Foro de Foros, the Spanish Network for Rural Development, and others.
Paola Cannata, Head of Strategy and Alliances at Political Watch, explains that “#ConVozyVoto is a broad platform that includes all entities that want to contribute to strengthening our democracy, ensuring that the voice of young people is heard on the political agenda.”
After the elections, the campaign will promote a co-creation process to develop concrete proposals from young people, with the aim of incorporating them into the agendas of political parties and the new government for the next legislature. “We want to enable young people, organizations, and institutions to work together to address the main challenges facing new generations in areas such as the future of work, the energy transition, health, or the design of cities and mobility,” says Diego Bayón, Senior Director of Public Advocacy at Harmon.
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