Den nye generation af politikere fra to verdener

For a political system to be representative, all parts of society must be included. That is why it is important for the youth to be part of the political process and influence their society by letting their voices be heard. There are many ways to do so, but one of them is to join a youth party.

Partnership

Both the Danish Social Democratic Party and the Akbayan Party is part of The Network for Social Democracy in Asia (SocDem Asia).

DIPD has spoken to two young people, who are both involved in youth politics, about what motivates them and what challenges they face as young political actors. Khylla Meneses from the Philippines is Secretary General of the Akbayan Youth, and Mathias Niebuhr from Denmark and the Danish Social Democratic Youth Party, who is currently running as a candidate for the European Parliament in 2024.

Even though they live thousands of miles apart, their stories have many parallels and can serve as inspiration to other young aspiring politicians. Read both they stories here. 

The urge to be a part of politics

Khylla Meneses

Khylla comes from a family of human rights lawyers in the Philippines. As a child, she grew up to see her mother helping all kinds of people in their neighbourhood in all sorts of ways.

"I really look up to my mother; she was always the one the people in our community came looking for in times of need. It would be a husband frantically knocking on our door to ask us to drive them to the nearest hospital because his wife was going into labour, a couple bringing their raped daughter in need of legal counsel, a young man asking for help with regards to his father’s health insurance because the hospital bill was too much to carry, or a young man knocking on our door because they experienced injustices caused by people in power."

As a child, it was difficult for Meneses to understand why she had to share her mother with the entire community. But later, it became her key inspiration to join politics. “People often look at politics with scornful judgement, but thanks to my mother, I see the public service in a way it is rarely seen in the lives of many politicians who exercise their power of position. It opened my eyes to different issues within our community.” This led to Meneses joining the Akbayan Youth when she was just 15 years old.

Mathias Niebuhr

Mathias, growing up in Denmark, lived mostly with his mother. She is not able to work because she was severely injured in a car accident before he was born. Therefore, his family has been dependent on the welfare system in Denmark. Nonetheless, it was a happy but sparse upbringing, Niebuhr explains.

"One day at school, when I was about 14 years old, a girl from my class started to complain about the taxes that her parents had to pay. She believed it was a ‘complete waste of money’. Her parents were both CEOs of middle-sized companies. Honestly, I got quite furious. At first, I condemned her for her ignorance and arrogance. But afterwards, I decided that anger would not change the world. So, I went online and got a membership in the Danish Social Democratic Youth."

The great ambitions of a youth politician

Khylla Meneses

Joining the Akbayan Youth became a crucial part of Meneses’ life. Here she found people who, like herself, felt the need to make a change in their community: 

“The Akbayan Youth guide and cultivate me to see that I am not alone. There are thousands of youths like me who share these same issues and experiences in their local villages. And together, if we organise ourselves, collectively we can create a transformative change within our community.”

Meneses is eager to make a difference in her own neighbourhood, which is why she decided to run for Youth Village Council Chairwoman in the largest district in the Philippines. The youth council in the Philippines is a council meant to represent the youth in each district in the country. The elections are held on October 30, 2023.

“It is a big risk because I am against traditional and populist politicians within our village. But I do not want to lose hope. I want it to be known that with the youthful flare our generation has, it is possible that the politics we were once accustomed to can be brought back to life.”

Mathias Niebuhr

After entering politics, Niebuhr became the local leader of the Danish Social Democratic Party in his hometown. A young man leading a local party department got national attention, which led Niebuhr to engage in national politics. 

"At the age of 20, I got employed by the youth party and moved to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, where I got even more engaged in politics. I became the campaign manager for the vice president of the Social Democratic Party, and I started a national network to promote LGBTQ+ rights."

But Niebuhr’s political interest didn’t stop there. He was drawn to international politics, aiming to make a change on a global scale.

"It was not really a decision. I just couldn't help it. I was interested in the future of Brazil and the rainforest. I closely followed as the British voted for Brexit or the Catalonians for independence. I visited political sister organisations in Norway, Spain, Belgium, the Faroe Islands, and the United States. I paid close attention to the struggles for democracy and human rights in the Middle East." 

The wish to see change happen in the world led Niebuhr to run for the European Parliament in 2024. 

The challenges faced

Khylla Meneses

Running for Youth Village Council, Meneses faced one the greatest obstacles to democracy in the Philippines, according to her:

“I realised one thing about Philippine politics. It was never about ideology alone. It was all about charisma, personality, and popularity. The political environment here in the Philippines right now requires a constituency. You need people who like you for your personality and not for your ideology or how you deal with problems. You can’t win an election in the Philippines unless you’re good at pacing yourself with the likes of other people.”

“But I don’t want to lose hope. As our party president always quotes, ‘If there is no hope, it is incumbent on us to invent it.’ I want to challenge traditional politics, and I want to start within our village. I want to prove that by introducing a politics of ideology (and not of personality and popularity), the Philippines, even our town, can be saved from political damnation.”

Mathias Niebuhr

The process of becoming a candidate and officially running for the European Parliament was difficult enough. On the side, Niebuhr is working a lot to support his campaign and the travel the country for political meetings.

“Funny enough, no one at work knows that I am politically engaged, and that suits me. It gives me a little break from politics and a place, where my life is just like everyone else’s at my age,” Niebuhr says.

“However, most of my days are political to the bone, but most of my political meetings overlap with just regular social interaction with friends. But sometimes the meetings are very formal and with people I don’t already know. There is constant pressure to leave a good impression. I don’t always think about it, but I know it, and it can be a bit stressful.”

Some of the pressure and challenges come from Niebuhr’s young age, he explains:

“I have to prove that I am more than just my age. Being 23 years old, most people still see me as a child, a work-life illiterate, someone without much to offer. Therefore, I heavily rely on other young people, both of age and mind, to support me and vote for me, which I am very aware of. Without support from my generation, running for the European Parliament would be close to impossible. With the support, it is just extremely difficult.”

“It is not easy, but it is awesome, needed, and, most importantly, the future.”