Although students are waving anti-war placards around, many make no connection with voting in elections.

With local elections weeks away, apathy rules. So is there any point in having the vote at 16? Kate thinks so...

Most people our age don’t understand politics because it’s boring. However it does affect us and in a few years time we’ll be eligible to vote, so de we really know enough about politics to be able to vote for the right party? And is there a ‘right’ party?

There are three main parties today, the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Each party aims their policies at specific groups in society and it’s up to you to decide who you vote for.

Most people support a certain party because of their upbringing, parent’s views or if they agree with the party’s policies. Personally I support the Conservatives because I agree with most of their policies, admire Margaret Thatcher for being the first female Prime Minister and I don’t like Labour!

Margaret Thatcher - Britain's first female Prime Minister

It’s really up to you to decide who you support, but do we really want to sit and ponder over which is the right party when they don’t consider us?

Young people today aren’t interested in politics because we think it doesn’t affect us. In my opinion politicians don't ask our views on issues or consider our futures. We're not taught about politics and it’s only when we turn 18 that the politicians and society become interested in us, but is this right?

Most people argue that we shouldn’t be able to vote until we are 18 because we aren’t mature enough to make an uninfluenced decision until then. However, if we were taught about it and were involved in it we would have enough intelligence to make our own decision. After all, who’s to say that at 18 we can make a completely independent decision? We don’t suddenly turn 18 and understand politics do we?

At 16 I can smoke, leave home, start work, join the armed forces, have sex, pay tax and get married with my parent’s permission. At 17 I will be able to learn to drive but it’s not until I’m 18 that I can vote for who I want to be the Prime Minister. Is this fair?

At 16 I can become a mother, but not choose which government decides maternity rights.

Perhaps if we were educated in or involved in politics we might be more interested in it but we aren’t. Politics doesn’t directly affect us so we can’t get involved, it’s aimed at older people and it shouldn’t be.

I think the government should introduce political studies into the curriculum when we’re doing our GCSEs. It would have to be more useful than PE or Guidance and it would help us understand. They could run trial or mock elections to see if we can make mature, independent decisions on issues that matter.

The government needs to consider what matters to us and ask our views on it and how we think things could be improved. I think they don’t ask because they presume we are going to demand trivial and pointless things like no school or homework, but if we were properly educated in politics we would demand things that are important.

If at 11 years old we can learn sex education why can’t we also learn about society and politics? We have already proved that we have an opinion and want to voice it or school children wouldn’t be protesting against the war in Iraq.

In the Midlands there are loads of things that can help involve young people in politics and help them voice their concerns. The Young People's Parliament, based at Millennium Point aims to get young people involved in politics. It provides a meeting place where young people can discuss issues, which affect the youth of Birmingham.

The YPP also works to bring more people into politics through projects such as the Spirit of Birmingham II. This is a project aimed to give school children the chance to debate ethical issues.

The YPP organises national and international events to allow young people the chance to get involved in politics. Also new technology has enabled the YPP to join a ‘global voice’ for young people from all over the world. This means that young people here in the Midlands can campaign along side people from all over the world.

Birmingham Town Hall - young people have a say through the Youth Council.

Birmingham City Council also helps to involve young people in politics by allowing them to voice their concerns about issues that really matter to them through the Birmingham Youth Council.

Through organisations such as the BYC, young people are involved in the running of the council, which enables them to voice their ideas and opinions over issues, which affect the youth of Birmingham.

This scheme has meant the young peoples concerns over homelessness, drugs, bullying, transport and leisure can be discussed with politicians or other decision makers. There is also the United Kingdoms Youth Parliament (UKYP), which involves young people in politics.

The UKYP’s elections have just taken place to choose five Members of the Youth Parliament (MYPs) to represent Birmingham. The MYP’s will now meet with young people to find out their concerns before discussing with campaigns they will be working on.

Once they have decided on this they have to produce a manifesto, which will be presented to the regional MYP’s. After this a national manifesto is produced which is presented to the Houses of Parliament.

This really involves young people in politics and it does mean that politicians take our views seriously and listen to us. Last year's national manifesto received a 32 page response from parliament.

There have also been schemes set up which help young people get involved in a particular political party. For example the Liberal Democrats have their own department for young people under 26. The Liberal Democrats organise regular training events and conferences for the Liberal Democrats Youth and Students (LDYS) to help them campaign about issues that matter to them.

There is a campaign at the moment to involve young people in politics by lowering the voting age to 16. The Votes at Sixteen campaign argues that if 16 and 17 year olds are old enough to leave home, start work and pay taxes they are also old enough to vote.

Those who agree with the Votes at Sixteen campaign include the National Youth Agency, UKYP, British Youth Council, National Union of Students and the Liberal Democrats Youth and Students. These organisations argue that 16 year olds are old enough to pay tax therefore they should be able to choose who they should want to pay that tax to.

Each year the LDYS organises Westminster Day where they invite schools to Westminster for a political event.

Every year the Liberal Democrats Youth and Students group invite schools to Westminster for a political event.

The LYDS tries to involve young people in politics as much as possible and anyone can join. You don’t have to want to become a politician to join but this is where most politicians start, both Margaret Thatcher and William Hague joined the Young Conservatives before becoming party leader.

Unfortunately these programmes are not openly advertised which does prevent some people getting involved. Politicians aim everything at the older generation; even things that matter to us are not discussed with us.

To solve this sort of problem Birmingham Young Voices has set up a project, which asks young people what matters to them. Last year ‘Wot Windz U Up?’ found that crime and safety was a major issue among young people.

Birmingham communities united after the New Year deaths of Charlene and Letisha

Most people believe we’re the ones committing the crimes, when in actual fact we’re the most likely victims of assault and mobile phone theft. Unfortunately politicians don’t seem to understand that if they gave us more youth centres to give us somewhere to go we would be less likely to commit crimes and it would keep us off the streets where a majority of these crimes take place.

Also, politicians discuss our education without involving us - 3 years ago the government developed the curriculum 2000, which changed the way A levels are taught and examined.

Although this means we can drop a subject at the end of the first year and still get a qualification for it, this new curriculum has increased our work load as teachers have to rush the work to get the course finished in time which causes everyone stress.

The new curriculum means we have three years of continuous exams because we do our GCSEs in year 11, AS levels in year 12 and A2 levels in year 13. Although this isn’t the most important change in the world it still affects us and we aren’t involved.

They’ve now decided that the new curriculum isn’t as successful as they had anticipated and so they might be changing it again but will we be involved in this change? Probably not.

At the moment the government is changing the way universities are funded which means we’ll have to pay higher tuition fees. This could mean some people can’t afford to go to university and so could hold them back. This change will directly influence us but it isn’t discussed with us and we aren’t involved.

Surely if I’m old enough to smoke, have sex, leave home and join the armed forces then I’m also old enough to decide who I want to be the Prime Minister.