General Election voting turnouts amongst young adults are rapidly declining.

There can be numerous arguments made as to why this is the case, however speaking as a young person, I cannot help but argue the main reason for this decline is the lack of direct interaction between the politicians and young people; how can they expect us to vote for them if they don't acknowledge our opinion, right? To this end, I was excited to hear about 'The BIG Election Debate', an opportunity for local people aged 16-23 to speak up and get their voices heard by those that make the decisions affecting them the most. Representatives from five major political parties will be in attendance, allowing for a wide spectrum of viewpoints to be showcased on important issues such as health and social care, local environmental issues... anything really.

Five charities are showing their support for the event: MAP, YMCA, Break, The Benjamin Foundation as well as Open.

Richard Draper, from The Benjamin Foundation, said: 'It's about making sure young people's voices are heard by politicians and that politicians understand young people's issues and concerns. We want young people to feel proactively engaged in national politics which many feel disconnected from.'

The event will be chaired by ITV's Jonathan Wills, and will be taking place on Wednesday, April 15, from 6-8pm at Open, 20 Bank Plain, Norwich.

Entry is allowed with a ticket only, which are available for free at http://tinyurl.com/norfolkbigdebate

If you're not sold by now, perhaps you'd relish the opportunity to challenge a politician you disagree with. Even if not, I think it's worth a couple of hours of our time.

Harvey, 19, Norwich