The youth of Britain face many challenges today. Far from an easy, carefree life, youth now have to face the realities of adult life from an increasingly early age. Faced with an education system littered with exams, coupled with a new Student Finance Bill bringing in increased tuition fees to contend with, never before have British students been so challenged on all sides.

Britain is plagued with voter apathy, with voting numbers declining at an alarming rate at each election. Amidst this growing crisis, the government has sought to encourage the youth of Britain to vote, proposing lowering the voting age to 16. With this in mind it is strange, indeed contradictory, that the government, breaking a manifesto pledge, have introduced a raise in tuition fees, a move bound to alienate would-be student voters.

What with British students being the most tested and examined in the world it is little wonder that student stress levels have spiralled into an epidemic of depression among the 17-25 age band. One of the consequences of this stress is that student militancy, traditionally a powerful political force, has declined, replaced by a kind of resigned docility.

All is not lost, however. Paradoxically, it is the Tuition Fees Bill that has revived student militancy in many universities and colleges nationwide. These measures have politicised students in a way thought impossible only a few years ago, with students now opting to vote tactically for parties like the Liberal Democrats rather than Labour in order to remove the government of Tony Blair from power. Despite the difficulties they therefore face, students are nonetheless aware of their ability to hold the government to account at the next general election.

While circumstances remain bleak for many students, there is of course hope and room for manoeuvre. Democracy, the means by which these controversial measures were passed, is a double-edged sword, since with that same sword students can strike back, from the ballot box, to the heart of government in the UK.

Democracy in Malbank School

Youth politics are often brought sharply into focus when incentives are given to promote democracy among peers. In Malbank School, not only are elections to student councils held, but representatives are pitted against one another in a race to become a kind of ambassador for the senior school at all kinds of social engagements within the community.

If this were not incentive enough in terms of promotion of democracy, the Youth Parliament elections for Great Britain are also held each year. These election to a national parliament allow students in the Senior School to vote for whichever candidate they wish to have representing them at a national level in the Youth Parliament. Voting "workshops" are also held every year for students approaching the age of 18 in Malbank School, giving students the opportunity to learn about democratic institutions and how to use them. On other occasions, politicians have ventured into school, and faced questioning from students about all aspects of party policy and political problems such as voter apathy in Britain, its causes, and how to deal with it.

Yet despite these incentives and increasing voter education across schools in Britain, figures show that voter apathy in general is on the rise across Britain’s population. Is there a solution?