Sam Elsey (Luxembourg Youth Parliament): Breaking Politics Out of Its Bubble

In an age when young people feel increasingly disenfranchised, it’s more important than ever to get them involved in politics. The Luxembourg Youth Parliament, and its president Sam Elsey, play an important part.

Getting Young Voices Heard

Many young people have a negative view of politicians, and the Luxembourg Youth Parliament exists to overcome this disillusionment. Anyone in Luxembourg aged 14 to 24 can take part, working with politicians to help shape the country’s future. Starting each September, recruitment is followed by a plenary phase and commissions in which members work on topics and create resolutions. Following a vote at the year’s final plenary, a resolution from the group is presented in the chamber of Deputies. “It truly gives us a whole year to delve into topics,” Elsey explains. “To get an idea of what we're talking about, working with experts, trying to find as reliable sources as possible, building a convincing and coherent resolution.” There are lots of advantages to having younger people tackle these issues. “We're youngsters, we don't have our careers tied to what we say or what we don't say,” Elsey continues. “Sometimes it feels like we have more political courage than some other politicians.”

“There's one sad factor about young politics in Luxembourg, and that is, it's a bubble.”

The Challenges of Power

Unlike the full parliament, the youth parliament avoids political parties and partisanship. Resolutions involve identifying problems first, gathering the facts, then working towards solutions. “It's based on compromise, but also voting,” Elsey says, “so everything is chosen democratically.” There are challenges, and Elsey has been working hard to incorporate varied voices. “Often it's the same schools these youngsters come from, so for a long time, we had the same kind of people, the same opinions, polarized basically. And so I'm very happy that this year I made it shift.” The parliament now represents more of the languages and backgrounds present in Luxembourg, better expressing the country’s lived reality.

Changing the Debate

While the Youth Parliament’s impact is hard to measure, it’s clearly real. It’s seen growth above 100% in the last two years, spreading its word to a wider audience. The organisation has seen massive growth on TikTok and Instagram, reaching more youngsters. But what really matters is the policy work. Propositions on schools and mental health have led directly to projects at the ministry of education, and now the older politicians are learning from them. “There were certain parties which directly copied parts of our propositions into their communal, national or European propositions,” Elsey say. “That I'm truly proud of.” But perhaps the most important work has been reaching beyond traditional bubbles, getting young people from across Luxembourg’s communities talking to each other, and making the establishment listen.