In the north, young people are now voting on the policies that matter to them, not based on where they come from

I truly believe that this drive for change is even greater now, and while it’s an age-old cliche that young people always want to “change the world,” current voters now seem to have the resources and drive to do so.

When it comes to elections here, we keep hearing the old banal anecdotes of “us and the Muns” and how it all boils down to voting “green or orange”.

Social media can be a double-edged sword, but because of that, and with access to endless information online, younger people are taking it upon themselves to learn more about the people and the parties trying to shape their future.

They vote on the policies that matter to them, rather than simply voting for what people in their field have always voted for.

They’re beginning to realize that focusing on boundaries or arguing about protocols won’t help them with opportunity, education, or career prospects.

House prices in Northern Ireland continued to rise in the first quarter of the year with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Young people worry they will never be able to own their own home, just as they fear minimum-wage jobs will not sustain their future amid a rising cost of living crisis.

Part of the future is making sure there is one that they can be a part of. A few months ago I attended a workshop for the creative writing charity Fighting Words NI where children aged 14-18 from across East Belfast planned topics to write news articles about.

The majority chose to write about environmental issues, such as the negative impact of fast fashion, ocean pollution and climate change, while others discussed women’s rights – rates of femicide, how violence against women is portrayed in the media, sexual abuse and sex education.

A young girl, Laasya, chose to write about student self-expression in schools and how much young people here are defined by the school they attend.

Another girl, Charlotte, wanted to write about whether teenagers in Northern Ireland should be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, rather than needing their parents’ consent.

This highlights another major problem for younger Millennials and Gen Z; the desire for autonomy and basic human rights for people in our society.

Many people under the age of 30 I spoke to recently said that guaranteeing access to better reproductive health care for women (including safer abortion services), rights for the LGBTQ+ community and better answers for them are top voting priorities to racism and sectarianism.

There will always be some who don’t want to learn from the past, but there is a growing group who don’t even care anymore. No young people I speak to feel the need to discuss NI’s legacy when it comes to making policy choices, unless there are societal issues they want addressed.

When I took to social media to question what young people wanted to see from these elections, a friend from a unionized and another from a traditionally nationalist community messaged me separately to say “avoid tribal politics.”

Young people want options. There will always be some who will do as they have always been told and vote blindly, but people are products of their environment and many young people are now actively trying to adapt to their environment.

With the last assembly only meeting three years after the election and the collapse of the executive branch last year, one thing is certain for all age groups: those elected must put a functioning government back on its feet.