At some point, Greta Thunberg sat on a wall with a poster that said “Skolstrejk för Klimatet”. Today, people around the world are taking to the streets for climate protection. Young people protest and rebel when they are otherwise not noticed. Sina Fateminejad, 23, is spokesman for the youth council in Unterschleißheim. Over the years in the city, he has learned how to make his generation heard without having to clench his fist and take to the streets.
At the age of 16, Sina Fateminejad found out for the first time at the Carl-Orff-Gymnasium that someone in the town hall was even interested in what young people think and want. Members of the youth parliament reported on their work to the class at the time. Fateminejad found it exciting, got involved, was elected to the youth parliament and took over its chairmanship. At 23, he now heads the newly created youth advisory board, which, unlike the youth parliament, also includes city councilors. On Monday, February 7, he wants to talk there about how everyone in the city can be better informed about what is important to young people.
Because committees alone do not change anything. “The perception is that young people don’t get enough say at the political level,” says Fateminejad. “You want to change a lot.” And preferably right away, that’s what young people expect. The reality, however, consists of formulating motions and conducting tough debates.
17 young people sit in the Unterschleißheim Youth Parliament
This can be tiring, but also fulfilling. Sina Fateminejad has learned how democracy works. He attended training courses and went on excursions. But you have to recruit comrades-in-arms. Back in school, it worked for him through direct contact. Fateminejad co-coordinated the most recent election call for the youth parliament. Fateminejad says it was also important to have offered online and face-to-face events in addition to classic letters to all households. 17 young people are now sitting in the youth parliament.
But can they also enforce something? Anyone who sits in the youth parliament has the right to speak and submit motions in the main committee of the city council. The new youth council, which Fateminejad now chairs, also includes city councillors. The 23-year-old, who is studying for his first state examination in medicine, still wants to achieve a lot in his free time. He wants to talk about high rents, climate change and downtown planning. With free WiFi it is not enough for young people. Fateminejad thinks that the youth council, the youth parliament and the youth center “Gleis 1” should cooperate more and develop a communication platform so that more people can be reached and youth issues become a topic of conversation.