After the Youth Session had been held in two parts at different locations in Switzerland in the last two years, the 200 young people met this year for the first time for four days in Bern. Since then, the young people have spent two days discussing "their" topics in working groups with experts and politicians before adopting the demands in the plenary session. After some initial difficulties with the online voting on the topics for the youth session in 2012, it worked out without any problems in 2013. The selected topics were education policy, homophobia, youth and alcohol, animal use and protection, wealth distribution and compulsory miliary service. The young people worked out ten demands on these topics. The demand that no one should be discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity was adopted most clearly, with 164 votes to 11. On the other hand, the demand that all variable salary compensation ("bonuses") should be taxed progressively was adopted by a narrower margin than any other, with 78 votes to 67."The youth session in Bern was an extraordinary and educational experience for me. I met many interesting people, including high-profile personalities such as President Ueli Maurer. [...] I always enjoy discussing political topics at school, such as compulsory military service. I also dealt with this long and intensively at the youth session in Bern."- Hannes Scherrer, 14, high school student (Südostschweiz, 20.11.2013, p. 5)
German
Bildungspolitik | To the demand |
Homophobie | To the demand |
Jugend und Alkohol | |
Tiernutzung und Tierschutz | To the demand |
Vermögensverteilung | |
Wehrpflicht | To the demand |
Homophobie | To the demand |
Repartition des richesses | To the demand |
Utilisation et protection des animaux | To the demand |
Obbligo di servizio | To the demand |
Politica dell istruzione svizzera | To the demand |