I’ve got 99 problems and society is one…

There is a growing animosity between young people and the government which is evident in the recent student protests and London riots. Young people feel as though their opinions are ignored… well this is all about to change!

A new initiative aimed at bridging the gap between young people and politics has emerged and it’s not for the conventional!  The government has teamed up with SB.TV to help generate debate about current issues and allow young people to relate to them through the expression of RAP! (yes I said rap… it’s not a typo!)   

SB.TV was found by Jamal Edwards in 2007 when he was sixteen and started filming London rappers freestyling on the street, and now he has filmed the likes of Nicki Minaj and Bruno Mars. His site has now racked up an impressive 50,000 subscribers and a total of 39 million video views. So establishing a partnership between the government and a SB.TV was ingenious and allowed the creation of a bridge between the two.    

It allows society to hear the complex opinions young people have towards issues in todays’ society. It gives them a voice, a voice that can be heard. Many young people in today’s society feel excluded and that they are used as scapegoats for a multitude of problems. This new initiative allows them to challenge those stereotypes as it sees the discussion of many topical issues.  One debate was particularly informative. It discussed in depth the issue of whether young people respect society. The debate was heated and convincingly presented both sides of the argument. It demonstrates that young people have opinions on current issues and they are worth listening to.

It highlighted the fact that young people view authority as a good thing and a bad thing. According to the youth of today the way authority is viewed is very dependent on the way it is presented. Young people are keen to emphasize the point that they will respect society if society RESPECTS THEM. Young people need to be given more opportunities like this to express their views, not only that they need people to sit up and listen to them!