'Political' is a dirty word in the Maltese vocabulary, often associated with the word 'partisan'.

In the minds of many, it is not something young people would want to associate themselves with.

Not so for the national youth council (KNZ) though, which yesterday launched the youth local council elections, which it will be organising for the fourth consecutive year.

Currently, only seven local councils have a youth council, but the KNZ is hoping, this year, to attract more councils.

The concept of the youth council is not only aimed at young people, KNZ president Alessia Zammit emphasised at the press conference announcing the election, but for local councils themselves.

Through such councils youths can contribute to the improvement of their town or village.

Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech and Labour MP Carmelo Abela, the party spokesman on education, who were present at the press conference, said their parties support the idea that youth local councils become obligatory rather than (as they are now) dependent on a local council's will.

Mr Fenech said the government was working on legislation in this sense, while Mr Abela pointed out that the point features in the MLP's policy document.

The take-up on the part of local councils, in effect, seems to be the biggest challenge facing the idea of youth local councils.

A number of young councillors who attended the press conference encouraged other young people to join the ranks at this year's election, which will be held on November 10, stressing what an enriching experience it had been for them.

In fact, Mr Fenech and Mr Abela, both of whom debuted in politics quite young and through local councils pledged their support to the idea, precisely on the strength of the hands-on, educational potential of youth councils.

Asked whether they would consider more radical measures to improve youth participation in politics, such as giving 16-year-olds the right to vote at local council elections, both Mr Fenech and Mr Abela said that they were in favour of the idea on a personal level.

Both admitted, however, that the issue had never been discussed by their parties.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.