The report, ‘The Battle to Engage’ is written by campaigner Oona King in partnership with Children's charity 4Children was launched at the Labour Party Conference.

The call to action was inspired by the shocking figures which show high levels of apathy among young people towards the democratic process and less than a quarter of 11-16 year olds feeling they had a say in the services and activities aimed at them.

And this feeling of alienation can have dangerous consequences way beyond the democratic process, because if young people feel they have little stake in the world around them it can undermine their sense of responsibility towards it.

The paper highlights how encouraging and empowering young people to participate in politics will reduce future social inequalities and help to raise levels of achievement and expectations and sets out a radical framework of action to change the way young people view democracy.

Broadcaster and campaigner Oona King is no stranger to tough political battles but her fight against apathy in young people may be her hardest yet, with the scale of the challenge illustrated by figures which showed only 39 per cent of those aged between 18 and 25 voted in the 2001 election.

The report shows that:

• Only 39% of those aged between 18 and 25 voting in the 2001 general election, compared to 75% of those over the age of 65.
• While over 90% of 65+ year olds see voting as a civic duty, only 56% of 18-24 year olds do
• 7 out of 10 young people have been vicitims of anti social behaviour
• 2/3rds of teenagers do not know where to go if they need to get help
• 6 out of 10 young voters consider that political parties need to do more to engage young people, with 26% asking for more direct contact

It recommends

1. Young People Impact Assessment to be required in all public policy decision making by law Involvement of young people in shaping design of policy and the local environment should be backed up by an impact assessment on all local decision making and on new public buildings and plans.
2. The right to vote from 16 In order to raise participation and promote involvement, teenagers should be given the right to vote from their 16th birthday.
3. A Youth Mayor in every area Every area should have a Youth Mayor post, backed up by an elected Youth Parliament, as a way of giving young people a say over their area as well as experience of voting and decision-making.
4. A Youth Fund for every area Every area should have its own youth fund. The Funds will offer young people the opportunity to shape and influence contributions to the communities around them. These funds should be increased and automatically renewed each year, whilst guaranteeing the sustainability of existing projects.
5. Youth Manifestos Candidates for political office should be encouraged to produce Youth Manifestos to be distributed through schools and local youth groups. These will have a specific youth focus and will recast the platform of the candidate in the language of young people and in a way that is relevant to the issues that concern teenagers.

Oona King said: "Two and a half millennia after the birth of participative democracy in Ancient Greece, our modern polity needs an urgent health check if it is to work for the next generation. Across the country young people tell us that they feel alienated and excluded from the communities they live in and we must heed this call for change. This means genuinely embedding democracy in our current governance structures, and inventing new ones that give more power to the people, and in particular young people.”

Anne Longfield OBE Chief Executive of 4Children said: "Whilst it is true that the word 'politics' does little to inspire young people, there is no shortage of enthusiasm about influencing and changing the world around them - it is our challenge to try and harness this and we must start young. How much stronger would young people feel about democracy if they learn that even before they can vote, they are still able to influence decisions which are made."