INVOLVING young people in politics can be an uphill struggle.

The subject is not always seen as "cool", in spite of the fact that they swiftly graduate to voting and the right to have their say in the running of the country.

So, the UK Youth Parliament is an excellent way to capture their attention and, hopefully, spawn a lifelong interest in what politics can mean to us all.

Young people across Bolton are now set to go to the polls to select the individuals they want to represent them. Two youth MPs will be elected to sit in the Youth Parliament and attend debates in Westminster.

This election process involves schools and youth clubs across the borough invited to hold elections to choose two of 16 young candidates, with voting taking place between February 11 and 22. The young MPs hold their positions for a year, and spend a further year serving as deputy Youth MPs.

The local candidates are a cross-section and hold a variety of interesting views, but one thing is certain. The opinions of young people need to be heard, preferably directly from them.

Early participation in an election process is a useful lesson in democracy which may have practical ramifications long-term for the nation.