Young People should take responsibility for their future and tell politicians their ideas, says the Minister for Youth Engagement and Citizenship.

In an official Government response to the independent Youth Citizenship Commission, Dawn Butler, has called for young people “to use their voice to tell us what they want.”

A recent report outlines the achievements of the Government in engaging young people, through initiatives such as the £220 million Youth Opportunities Fund, the £4.5 million youth4u young inspectors programme and the £272 million investment in the MYPLACE programme.

In total over £700 million has been invested in delivering activities for young people, allocated by the young people themselves. This outlines changes in policy to increase the levels of youth participation both locally and nationally.

As part of its response, the Government has launched a new online hub for young people to access funding, information and local opportunities to support youth engagement.

It can be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/joinin