• Do you think this Budget treats young people unfairly?
• Do you think they were singled out?
• Why do you think young people have borne the brunt of these cuts?
• Are any of these reasons justified?
• Do you think politicians do a good job of dividing up resources?
No matter what we think about the decisions the Chancellor made, there’s no denying his job is a difficult one. Challenge the young people to think about the decisions they would make. Split them into groups of four and tell them they have £100m as a budget which must be split between these government departments: pensions, health care, education, defence, welfare (benefits for the disabled, unemployed, young people and so on), transport, police costs, agriculture and broadcasting. Give the groups ten minutes to decide on what they will do with their money. You could show them the chart on the right which explains how the government currently divides up its money.
After the groups have finished, invite them back together to share the decisions they have made. Ask each group these questions to explore their thinking:
• How did you come to these decisions?
• What were your priorities?
• What was the toughest decision?
• Which area do you think you under-financed?
To close, ask the group how they feel Jesus would have spent the Budget.
