News: High Pavement Students Reach Out to Local MPs for Talks on Key Topics.
Homelessness, climate change, the cost-of-living crisis and access to education and opportunities have all been key topics on the discussion agenda for our A Level students recently, and they’ve been inviting local MP’s to get involved in the conversations too!
Our students have recently welcomed Nadia Whittome (Labour MP for Nottingham East), Lilian Greenwood ) Labour MP for Nottingham South and Shadow Minister for Arts, Heritage and Civil Society) and Alex Norris (Labour & Co-op MP for Nottingham North and Shadow Police Minister) to open forums to discuss the issues that are important to them now, and in the future.
It is really important to engage with every part of the electorate and to make sure we are listening to young people and taking the time to come and see them. It’s a known fact that young people are less likely to vote and we want to encourage them to know they have a voice and they can influence change.
— Lilian Greenwood, Labour MP for Nottingham South.
The idea to invite local MPs was entirely student led and driven by the desire to empower young voices. For A Level student Hugh Humphreys, it’s another way to engage young people like himself, before they are even eligible to vote!
He highlighted the significance of youth participation in politics and stressed that fresh voices and opinions are vital for societal and economic progress.
For my social action project, I invited local MP’s in to have a conversation on issues important to us. It’s really important to have an opportunity to speak to MP’s. I’m only 16 but in a few years I will be old enough to vote and as a young person my voice matters. As a new generation, we all have a say on the issues that directly affect us and we should use our voice to campaign for that.
It’s vital for young people to engage in politics as we need fresh voices and opinions to keep the economy and society improving, otherwise we stay stagnant. It’s a huge issue that young people are not involved in politics, and we can all change that. Being registered to vote means that as soon as I turn 18, I can cast my vote!
— Hugh Humphreys — Law, Psychology and History A‑Level student.
As part of Colleges Week, we’ve been sharing lots of ways our students are engaging in the political process…
Back in January, a collaboration with BBC East Midlands Today and the BBC Sunday Politics Show saw our Fletchers Theatre in our City Hub campus turn into a political Question Time auditorium, when three East Midlands mayoral candidates took part in a hustings event involving over 100 students and 50 staff and stakeholders. The event was recorded and broadcast on The East Midlands Politics Show, kickstarting the BBC’s coverage of the East Midlands Mayoral elections which take place on 2nd May this year.
Our Personal Social Development Tutors are embedding democracy into sessions too, encouraging students to use their voice to campaign for issues important to them — as a result we’ve seen them raise thousands for charity, host community events and raise money for life saving equipment too.
The theme of this year’s Colleges Week campaign is Influencing, Engaging, Celebrating. We interviewed students about what they want to see in the next government, what issues are important to them and why young people should engage with politics!
Published on:
- 26th February 2024 (1:12 PM)
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