Interview with Katie Gibbs; Leader of the Young Greens

Katie Gibbs, leader of the Young Greens, went into depth discussing politics as it pertains to youth. In an e-mail received on Nov. 6, she explored the strengths of her party, the future aims and numerous ways that young people can get involved in the Green Party and politics in general.
When exploring the Green Party’s undeniable draw on the youth, Katie discussed the party’s commitment to ecological preservation and highlighted this as an issue young people see as deeply affecting their personal futures. She mentioned though that the pull also comes from the way in which the party goes about what they do, saying “I think they are also drawn to the way we do politics. We are about common sense, cooperation and getting things done, not playing political games, and this is what young people want from their leaders.”
Katie tackled the issues of apathetic youth, although she makes it known that youth are by no stretch ignorant or incompetent and if parties attempted to involve the youth more, they may spark a greater response, citing the 2009 American election as an example.
Lastly, looking specifically at the Green party, Katie laments that young voters aren’t often taken seriously. She says specifically, “Based on the latest EKOS poll, if only voters under the age of 25 were able to vote, the Green Party would have 60 seats in Parliament!” In the end though, there are many ways to get involved, “join a political party, canvass with a local candidate, write a letter to your MP letting them know what you want to see done, talk to your friends about politics, vote, etc. Check out our (the Green Party’s) action page for some things you can do to support the Green Party: http://youth.greenparty.ca/en/action.”
Katie encourages youth to make themselves heard and to push for change in their own communities. She makes it perfectly clear that there is always something for you to do, always a way to get involved, no matter your age.