Impulses For A Strong Democracy

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POSITION
Publisher: Deutscher Bundesjugendring Mühlendamm 3 | 10178 Berlin +49 (0)30. 4 00 40-400 info@dbjr.de | www.dbjr.de Daniel Grein (V.i.S.d.P.) funded by BMFSFJ

Impulses for a strong democracy
In many European countries, also in Germany, a rising number of people of all ages go out into the streets to articulate their interests. With their protests they clear out that they see themselves as victims of social inequality/injustice, and that their interests and needs are not considered properly in decision making processes. Young people doubt democracy, as decisions are mostly made behind closed doors, alternatives are not even discussed, or the decision-making process includes wrong information. The loud and non-violent protest is mostly vital for democracy, because it shows and deals with deficits. More dangerous is the quiet protest of a rising number of discontent citizens who don’t see any perspectives and feel left out from society. Youth organisations and their partners take the loud and the quiet protest seriously. They consider it important to discuss the deficits. There is a strong need of establishing measures to strengthen democracy. According to youth organisations and their partners, the democratic system is of special importance for our society because of the following reasons.

On the one hand, youth organisations and their partners are stakeholder organisations with elected representatives. Their goal is to help design our society with a focus on the interests of youth. On the other hand, they are a part of civil society in their function as stakeholders for youth affairs, and a part of the democratic system of opinion-forming and decision-making processes. They are able to reach a large number of (young) people and are active on a national as well as on a local level. They are aware of their responsibility for the democratic system.

Moreover, youth organisations are organisations of civil society, places where democracy is...