SDLP Youth: Young people should get active, not angry

Many of them will head to university in England or Scotland and many of them will never return home.

As a young person this upsets me. When I look around me and see a society bubbling with possibility and opportunity, only to be held back by stale politics, I can’t help but think how different things might be if all of our futures weren’t reliant upon the ability of the two major parties to agree.

Only a matter of weeks ago, the SDLP took part in the Belfast Pride Festival. The streets were lined with thousands of people showing support and solidarity. No sectarianism, no bigotry, just a sense of belonging and togetherness. It provided a snap shot of how our society could look if we worked together in spite of our differences.

The world around us is changing, yet day by day, our political leaders seem content as ever to leave us sitting waiting, wondering, when they will come to agreement. As we wait, our politics is turning off more and more young people as the impasse runs on. Change can no longer wait.

My message and the message of SDLP Youth to our peers is very simple. Don’t get angry, get active.

Adam Gannon, SDLP Youth