Citizenship Education

Lord Speaker's Competition Report - young people tackle waste reduction

admin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:32:00 GMT

The House of Lords Sub-Committee on Waste Reduction has recently examined how the amount of waste produced in the UK can be reduced and asked to hear young people's views on the issue. A report summarising their views and offering recommendations has now been submitted to the House of Lords.

The House of Lords, with the support of the Lord Speaker and in conjunction with the Hansard Society, called for 11 - 18 year olds to submit their views on waste reduction to the Sub-Committee in creative ways. The work sent in was entered into the Lord Speaker's What a Waste! Competition and the young people behind the best entry in Key stage 3, Key stage 4 and Key stage 5 attended the House of Lords to present their ideas last month.

The winning entries represent just a handful of the excellent ideas which were submitted to the competition and as such a What a Waste! competition report, summarising all the work entered has been compiled. To ensure that the views of all young people who took part are heard by the Sub Committee, this report has now been submitted to Lord O'Neill for response.

Key recommendations from the What a Waste! Competition Report include:

The Plastic Problem
There are inadequate plastic recycling facilities in the UK. Those which exist are not used effectively because recycling plastic is not seen as cost effective by some local councils. As such, local councils should work together to pool recycling facilities and central government should encourage and fund this activity.

School Schemes
School centred schemes are a useful and realistic way to involve large numbers of people in waste reduction schemes. Peer education about waste and recycling within schools improves not only the school environment, but can also have a trickle down effect to the local community. Schools should use student lead assemblies to promote waste reduction and appoint teams of students to be responsible for waste and recycling within the school.

The full What a Waste! Competition Report is available for download here: What a Waste! Competition Report.pdf

Lord Speaker's Competition - Winners Announced!

admin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:25:00 GMT

The winners of the Lord Speaker's competition for young people 2008, have attended the winners’ day at the House of Lords and presented their findings to a special sitting of the House of Lords Science and Technology Sub-committee on Waste Reduction.

The winners were:

Key Stage 3: William Lewis and Harry Roffey from Bodiam Manor School for their in-depth investigation into why plastic cannot be recycled in their local area, quizzing the local council and supermarket in the process. The team presented their findings in a PowerPoint presentation.

Key Stage 4: Josie Palmer and Katie Leivers from Ridgeway School presented an examination of what could be done to reduce waste using an eye-catching collage. To really bring the message home, the team raided senior staff's wastepaper bins and got creative with what they found.

Key Stage 5: Mark Malik, Alice Jones, Daniel Beech, Sultana Akhtar and Matthew Jones from Joseph Leckie School set themselves the challenge of coming up with an innovative solution to the waste reduction problem and the result was a reusable shopping bag scheme. By using recycled materials and a community-centred approach, this social enterprise looks set to rid their community of plastic carrier bags.

The competition, run in partnership with the Hansard Society's Citizenship Education Programme, asked young people to submit their ideas on how to reduce the amount of waste the UK produces. Over 87 teams of young people submitted their ideas in the form of short films, animations, collages, essays, research papers and presentations.

Entries covered issues including the role of councils in recycling and the contribution of big business and were then judged by an eminent panel including the Lord Speaker and the Chairman of the House of Lords Sub-Committee on Waste Reduction, Lord O’Neill.

While the winners presented their findings in person, every entrant to the competition will have their voice heard by the Sub-Committee as a report compiling the entries has been submitted to Lord O’Neill for response. It is not just the winners who will have their views heard as the Hansard Society have compiled a report based on all entries which Lord O’Neill will respond to.

This is not a photo opportunity

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:35:00 GMT

There is little doubt that MPs engaging with young people is a worthwhile pursuit for all concerned. Ed Balls was recently pictured on a rope swing in a playground, whilst David Cameron was last week photographed at a school in the West Midlands. These visits are of course prime for press coverage, but that's not to say that they cannot also hold great value for both MPs and young people.

Arthur Mellows College in Peterborough demonstrated just how beneficial these exchanges can be, when Stewart Jackson MP visited their sixth form recently to discuss his role as an MP. Hansard Society Scholar, Faith Jones, who attended the visit, was impressed by the level of preparation that had gone into the visit, adding that every student was well engaged and had prepared an insightful, relevant question to ask. Teachers at the college had used the Hansard Society's MPs in Schools pack to equip students with vital background information for the visit. It's worth noting that the MPs in Schools pack is not only for use by schools - it has an equally important section aimed at MPs, so that they too can prepare themselves for the experience, because remember, this is not a photo opportunity.

MPs in Schools is part of the Elected Representatives in Schools Series which includes MPs, AMs, MSPs, MEPs and Scottish MPs in Schools. Click here for further information on this free resource.

What Matters to You(ng People)?

admin — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:24:00 GMT

That was the question the Hansard Society asked young people at People & Politics day in Westminster last week. Organised by Unlock Democracy, People & Politics day brought some 1800 young people together with senior political figures, political parties and organisations such as the Hansard Society, aiming to make citizenship education personal.

Whilst discussing projects such as Y Vote Mock Elections and HeadsUp with participants, we were also asking what issues matter most to them. With our "blast board" and customised badges (both pictured) we hoped to bring ourselves up to speed with the concerns of young people today. Rather than asking young people to sign up to any particular cause, we wanted them to set the agenda - mirroring the ethos of projects such as Y Vote and HeadsUp.

It's little surprise that most participants were by no means backward in coming forward. That said, some young people wanted to check if their chosen issue was "ok" before putting pen to paper - the first participant to flag up child abuse stands out, as does the young woman with concerns over the impact of size zero models. This begs the question, who told you it wasn't ok? With a little encouragement, however, their thoughts were soon displayed on the blast board and pinned to their blazers.

So, what does matter to young people? The broad issues added to the blast board over the day, are shown according to the number of mentions on the graph below.

The clearest message from the day, was that in one guise or other, young people do care about politics.

What a Waste! The Lord Speaker's Competition for Young People

admin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:04:00 GMT

If you’re under 18 and feel strongly about how we can reduce waste, this is your chance to make your voice heard in Parliament - and win up to £100 for your team. A House of Lords committee has been examining all aspects of waste reduction and is joining forces with the Hansard Society to encourage young people to enter a new competition to present their views on waste and recycling – by video, audio or written submissions. Following the success of last year’s essay competition, What a Waste! is being sponsored by the Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman, and supported by Parliament’s Education Service.

Groups of young people in Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 can submit their ideas about waste reduction and improve their level of political literacy at the same time. As well as a cash prize, winning groups will visit the House of Lords to make a presentation to members of the Science and Technology Committee and receive feedback. The deadline for submissions is 28th April 2008 and all entrants will receive a certificate.

Entry details, competition rules, background information and lesson plans for teachers are all provided online.

Visit the competition website to register for the project, today: http://www.parliament.uk/holcompetition/

Should our forces still be in Iraq?

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:16:00 GMT

Should our forces still be in Iraq?

Young people debate defence issues with legislators

Follow the online debate at www.headsup.org.uk

Under-18s are tackling a variety of defence issues in a secure and structured online debate, organised by the Hansard Society. Defence d-day...Should our forces be in Iraq? will run from February 25 to March 14, 2008 at www.headsup.org.uk

As well as giving their views on Iraq, the young people taking part in the debate will consider other key questions:

Should we intervene in overseas conflicts and what are the implications of these decisions?
What is the impact on the families of those serving in the armed forces? Have you (or your friends) got any relatives serving in the armed forces? Do your grandparents remember WW2?
Do we stop and think about life in post-war zones such as Iraq, Afghanistan or the Balkans? Was it worthwhile?
Has violent or non-violent conflict resolution been more successful when looking at recent conflicts?

Legislators and experts involved in this forum include:

Bob Ainsworth MP - Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Gerald Howarth MP - Shadow Defence Minister
Linda Gilroy MP - Member of the Defence Select Committee
Willie Rennie MP - Shadow Minister for Defence
Nick Harvey MP - Shadow Defence Minister

Barry Griffiths, HeadsUp Manager, commented: "Although Iraq and Afghanistan attract most headlines, we want the young people taking part in this debate to consider wider aspects of war and consider the effect of conflict on civilians as well as the armed forces and their families."

HeadsUp is a vital resource for teaching the political literacy element of the Citizenship Curriculum and ensuring young people's voices are heard by decision-makers. In addition to the forum where school students explore and debate the political issues and ideas that matter to them, there are teachers' notes, ideas for classroom activities and background information for young people all available on the HeadsUp website.

Editors' Notes

HeadsUp (http://www.headsup.org.uk/) is an innovative website where under-18s debate political issues and processes. The site is a non-partisan, cross-party educational resource that provides a secure, structured and student-centred discussion platform.

Two ways to register to participate in HeadsUp:

1. Young People - If you are under 18 and want to get in on the action you need to complete the Student Sign Up Form.

2. Teachers/youth workers/youth group - can register a whole class/school year/group by completing our Teachers Registration Form.

All HeadsUp forums are open to view and follow the debate. Participants will still need to register or login to post comments.
The project is jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice (former DCA) and the House of Commons.
Young people taking part in this HeadsUp Forum are available for interview. However, this may take some time to arrange due to the busy academic calendar]. For more information contact Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager at the Hansard Society on 0207 438 1225 or 07812 765 552.
At the end of the debate, a summary report detailing young people's contributions will be distributed to relevant government ministers, MPs, AMs, MEPS, MSPs and selected all-party groups in Parliament.
4000 individuals are currently registered with HeadsUp.

Young people say no to political correctness

admin — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:17:00 GMT

Under-18s taking part in a Hansard Society online debate thought that political correctness has gone too far. They felt that while young people should be taught to be tolerant and respectful, they should be able to talk about discrimination, race and religion without fearing that they are using the wrong vocabulary. They concluded that political correctness leads to uncertainty and threatens free speech.

The debate Discrimination in the UK – Fact or Fiction? ran from November 19 to December 7, 2007 at www.HeadsUp.org.uk. Parliamentarians and decision-makers from all political parties took part in the debate.

Young people taking part concluded:

that racism was prevalent in some parts of society but a group of students felt that the broad threat of racism was less of an issue than religious discrimination or cultural awareness.
that ageism badly affects young people as well as old. It was argued that young people are often not considered as much of a priority as old people when it comes to age discrimination.
that schools should address their sexist policies on PE. In addition, participants did not believe that sexism had disappeared completely in the workplace as many reported that men still occupy a large proportion of top jobs in the UK.
that political correctness has gone too far as it leads to uncertainty and threatens free speech.

Barry Griffiths,HeadsUp

Manager, commented: “The legislators taking part in this debate used the forum as a real engagement tool which they visited regularly, allowing them to question and inform young people about all aspects of animal cruelty policy The young participants appreciated this feedback and interaction .”

HeadsUp is a vital resource for teaching the political literacy element of the Citizenship Curriculum and ensuring young people’s voices are heard by decision-makers. In addition to the forum where school students explore and debate the political issues and ideas that matter to them, there are teachers’ notes, ideas for classroom activities and background information for young people all available on the HeadsUp website.

For more information contact Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager at the Hansard Society on 0207 438 1225 or 07812 765 552.

Editors’ Notes

This forum attracted the online involvement of a range of decision-makers, these included:

Jo Swinson MP - Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
Baroness Prosser - Deputy chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Anne Begg MP - Member interested in equality issues
Mary Honeyball MEP - Member of the Committee on Culture and Education
Margaret Mitchell MSP - Convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee
Andrew Stunell MP - Member interested in equality issues
Dr Katherine Rake - Director of the Fawcett Society
Harriet Harman MP - Leader of the House of Commons and Minister for Women and Equality

HeadsUp (www.HeadsUp.org.uk) is an innovative website where under-18s debate political issues and processes. The site is a non-partisan, cross-party educational resource that provides a secure, structured and student-centred discussion platform.

Two ways to register to participate in HeadsUp:

Young People - If you are under 18 and want to get involved you need to email us at info@headsup.org.uk, specifying your preferred username and password.
Teachers - can register a whole class/school year/group by completing our online registration form.

All HeadsUp forums are open to view and follow the debate. Participants will still need to register or login to post comments.

The project is jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice (former DCA) and the House of Commons.

Young people who took part in this HeadsUp Forum are available for interview. However, this may take some time to arrange due to the busy academic calendar]. For more information contact Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager at the Hansard Society on 0207 438 1225 or 07812 765 552.

At the end of the debate, a summary report detailing young people’s contributions will be distributed to relevant government ministers, MPs, AMs, MEPS, MSPs and all-party groups in Parliament.

Over 4000 individuals are currently registered with HeadsUp.

60% of under-18s more likely to vote after taking part in HeadsUp

admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:19:00 GMT

A detailed evaluation exercise of the Hansard Society’s HeadsUp innovative website for young people demonstrates a proven way to get young people interested in politics and involved in political debate.

The HeadsUp Evaluation Report [PDF, 313KB] is available be download.

Key evaluation findings are:

60% of young people said they more likely to vote after taking part in HeadsUp
92% of teachers rated HeadsUp excellent or said they would use it again
Debate findings from HeadsUp were quoted in Commons’ debate
Comments from participating MPs include ‘an excellent resource which is not only informative, but encourages active debate’; ‘the standard of debate and discussion was very high’ and ‘The HeadsUp report is very encouraging; it shows how much young people are interested and keen to participate in addressing the issues’
HeadsUp gives less confident youngsters in class the chance to have their say
Since 2003, the number of legislators has increased significantly. For example, in the last 10 debates 86 legislators have participated. There has been a consistent involvement of high-profile Ministers

HeadsUp (www.HeadsUp.org.uk) is a unique, ground-breaking website where under-18s debate political issues and processes. The site is a non-partisan, cross-party educational resource that provides a secure, structured and student-centred discussion platform. The site is particularly useful in delivering the Citizenship curriculum and recent forums have seen comment from several Secretaries of State and their Shadow counterparts.

Barry Griffiths, HeadsUp Manager, commented: ‘HeadsUp is a testament to the young people, teachers and legislators who use the resource on a regular basis as the site has been running since 2003. There are many requests made upon young people’s time and the fact that they continue to use HeadsUp highlights its attraction to young people across the country interested in having their say on topical issues.’

The HeadsUp evaluation report looked at the period September 2006 – August 2007. It examined the website’s design and ease of use; how students responded to the debate topics and the role of decision-makers on the site; how useful teachers found the site; and the views of MPs and other decision-makers who took part in the forum debates over the year.

For more information contact Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager at the Hansard Society on 0207 438 1225 or 07812 765 552.

Editors’ Notes

HeadsUp is a vital resource for teaching the political literacy element of the Citizenship Curriculum and ensuring young people's voices are heard by decision-makers. In addition to the forum where school students explore and debate the political issues and ideas that matter to them, there are teachers' notes, ideas for classroom activities and background information for young people all available on the HeadsUp website.
HeadsUp was launched in June 2003 as a resource to promote political awareness and participation amongst young people under the age of 18. The site assists teachers in covering the political literacy strand of citizenship education and MPs can use it to consult with their younger constituents. The site is co-funded by the Ministry of Justice (former DCA) and the House of Commons.
The main feature of HeadsUp is a moderated online forum, where students deliberate on topical issues that relate to work in Parliament amongst themselves and with parliamentarians. The forum is supported by relevant background information and reference material – for both young people and educators. There are now two ways to register to participate in HeadsUp:
Young People – If you are under 18 and want to get involved you need to email us at info@headsup.org.uk. We will then email you back with your unique username and password. Once you’re registered you can take part wherever and whenever you want.
Teachers – can register a whole class/school year/group by completing our online registration form.
All HeadsUp forums are open to all to view and follow the debate. This will benefit many young people, teachers and parliamentarians as they will now be able to ‘try before they buy’ and observe the dynamic of the debates without being registered. Participants will still need to register or login to post comments.

Is everyone really treated equally?

admin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:30:00 GMT

Young people debate discrimination with legislators

Follow the online debate at www.HeadsUp.org.uk

Under-18s are tackling the sensitive subject of discrimination in a secure and structured online debate, organised by the Hansard Society. Discrimination in the UK – Fact or Fiction? will run from November 19 to December 7, 2007 at www.HeadsUp.org.uk

The following key questions will be put to young people in the debate:

Does racism still occur – have you or your friends been a victim? What methods are being used in your school or local community to stop this happening? How are people of different faiths treated in multicultural Britain?
Do you think it’s still the case that men are more likely to succeed than women in the workplace? Is sexism still a big issue in 21st century Britain?
Are you concerned about being treated differently because of your age? What role do the media play in this negative stereotyping? Have you been the subject of ageism – if so in what context?
Has political correctness gone too far or perhaps not far enough? Some critics argue that political correctness implies censorship and threatens free speech – are they right?

The forum has attracted the involvement of the following legislators and experts:

Jo Swinson MP – Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
Baroness Prosser – Deputy chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission
Anne Begg MP – Member interested in equality issues
Mary Honeyball MEP – Member of the Committee on Culture and Education
Margaret Mitchell MSP – Convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee
Andrew Stunell MP – Member interested in equality issues
Dr Katherine Rake – Director of the Fawcett Society
Harriet Harman MP - Leader of the House of Commons and Minister for Women and Equality

Barry Griffiths, HeadsUp Manager, commented: “It will be interesting to see if young people report that racism, ageism and sexism are still occurring. Given the sensitive subject matter, the interaction between legislators and participants could be crucial.”

HeadsUp is a vital resource for teaching the political literacy element of the Citizenship Curriculum and ensuring young people’s voices are heard by decision-makers. In addition to the forum where school students explore and debate the political issues and ideas that matter to them, there are teachers’ notes, ideas for classroom activities and background information for young people all available on the HeadsUp website.

Editors’ Notes

HeadsUp (www.HeadsUp.org.uk) is an innovative website where under-18s debate political issues and processes. The site is a non-partisan, cross-party educational resource that provides a secure, structured and student-centred discussion platform.
Two ways to register to participate in HeadsUp:
1. Young People – If you are under 18 and want to get involved you need to email us at info@headsup.org.uk, specifying your preferred username and password.
2. Teachers – can register a whole class/school year/group by completing our online registration form
All HeadsUp forums are open to view and follow the debate. Participants will still need to register or login to post comments.
The project is jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice (former DCA) and the House of Commons.
Young people taking part in this HeadsUp Forum are available for interview. However, this may take some time to arrange due to the busy academic calendar]. For more information contact Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager at the Hansard Society on 0207 438 1225 or 07812 765 552.
At the end of the debate, a summary report detailing young people’s contributions will be distributed to relevant government ministers, MPs, AMs, MEPS, MSPs and selected all-party groups in Parliament.
4000 individuals are currently registered with HeadsUp.

EU and All That! conferences return

admin — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:26:00 GMT

Following the success of the last series of free conferences for citizenship teachers, three more dates have been announced for 2007/2008. The conferences introduce The EU: what's that? resource pack, produced by the UK Office of the European Parliament, along with providing details of other useful resources and a lively agenda of workshops and activities.

The pack is teacher friendly and tackles the institutions of the European Union and related issues - including the different levels of governance and their interaction. Teachers will be given a free copy of the resources - and will be shown how to use them - along with a variety of other citizenship related goodies.

The conferences will take place in:

Leicester - 12 March 2008

For more details about the conferences or to register, please visit the dedicated conference website - www.euandallthat.co.uk

EU and All That Citizenship Conferences

admin — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:56:00 GMT

The UK Office of the European Parliament and the Hansard Society want you to come to the EU and All That! Citizenship Conference. The UK Office will demonstrate their free teaching resources designed to support you in teaching about the European Parliament.

The teaching of other levels of policy and law-making – local and national – will also be explored. Admission is free and you will receive a free set of resources to use right away. You will also be offered the opportunity to participate in a series of workshops that will enable you and your colleagues to deliver political literacy teaching
confidently and in an innovative and engaging way.

Very interactive great free resources. Not only has the conference helped me with ideas or teaching about the EU, it’s also helped with citizenship as a whole. Teacher

The following all-day conferences will take place in the locations and on the dates below:

LONDON - 5th December 2007
LEEDS 23rd - January 2008
LEICESTER - 12th March 2008

We really want you to be there so we'll pay for your travel (teachers only) and provide you with refreshments. Numbers are limited so apply early to secure your place.

To find out more please contact citizenship@hansard.lse.ac.uk or visit: www.euandallthat.co.uk

What can MPs do to engage with young people?

admin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:32:00 GMT

Join Natascha Engel MP and young people at a Breakfast Briefing in Westminster on Wednesday October 25, 2007 9am 10am

The Respect? Advisory Group will discuss the campaign’s successful work in conjunction with the British Youth Council and YouthNet in challenging stereotypes of young people. They will also talk about their research into how MPs could better engage with young people. Natascha Engel MP will respond to the young people’s findings and discuss what MPs can do to engage with young people in their constituencies.

Who should attend: Voluntary and statutory organisations with an interest in promoting youth democracy
Where: Committee Room 16, House of Commons via St. Stephens Entrance
Organised by: The Democracy Coalition for Children and Young People

If you would like to attend please RSVP: citizenship@hansard.lse.ac.uk

Editor’s Notes

The Democracy Coalition for Children and Young People (DCCYP) is an alliance of non-governmental, voluntary and statutory organisations, who work together to increase children and young people’s participation in our democracy. See www.democracycoalition.co.uk for more information on our members and work. The DCCYP is supported in its work by the Ministry of Justice.

The Hansard Society is an independent, non-partisan educational charity, which exists to promote effective parliamentary democracy. The Hansard Society’s Citizenship Education Programme works with young people through schools and colleges to educate and inform them about parliamentary democracy and develop innovative ways to involve them in participatory democratic activities. The Hansard Society is a member of The Democracy Coalition for Children and Young People.

Should experiments on animals be banned?

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:07:00 GMT

Young people debate animal cruelty with legislators

Follow the online debate at
www.HeadsUp.org.uk

Under-18s are tackling the emotive subject of animal cruelty in a secure and structured online debate, organised by the Hansard Society. Animal Cruelty – Who cares? will run from September 17 to October 5 2007 at www.HeadsUp.org.uk

The debate will focus on the following questions:

What are your views on the intensive farming of battery chickens in this country? Do we look after intensively farmed animals in the correct way?
Are we learning from previous mistakes when it comes to dealing with foot and mouth outbreaks?
Is the renewed use of fur in the fashion industry cruel to animals?
In your opinion which is most cruel – zoos or bullfighting or a circus? Is animal cruelty worse in other countries, or are our practices equally poor?

Legislators taking part online include:

Lord Rooker – Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Nick Palmer MP – Member of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare
Baroness Gale – Member of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare
Elliot Morley MP – Member of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare and RSPCA vice president
Glenis Willmott MEP – Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Ian Strachan – Head of the Animal Welfare Branch in the Scottish Government
Ian Cawsey MP – RSPCA vice president
Liz Lynne MEP – Member of the European Parliament interested in tackling animal cruelty
John Bowis MEP – Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Bill Wiggin MP – Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries.

Barry Griffiths, HeadsUp Manager, commented: “I’m really looking forward to reading what young people think about cruelty to animals and their interactions with the decision-makers. There’s still time for schools and young people out there to get involved and get their opinions across!”

HeadsUp is a vital resource for teaching the political literacy element of the Citizenship Curriculum and ensuring young people’s voices are heard by decision-makers. In addition to the forum where school students explore and debate the political issues and ideas that matter to them, there are teachers’ notes, ideas for classroom activities and background information for young people all available on the HeadsUp website.

Editors’ Notes

HeadsUp (www.HeadsUp.org.uk) is an innovative website where under-18s debate political issues and processes. The site is a non-partisan, cross-party educational resource that provides a secure, structured and student-centred discussion platform.
Two ways to register to participate in HeadsUp:

Young People – If you are under 18 and want to get involved you need to email us at info@headsup.org.uk, specifying your preferred username and password.
Teachers – can register a whole class/school year/group by completing our online registration form

All HeadsUp forums are open to view and follow the debate. Participants will still need to register or login to post comments.
The project is jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice (former DCA) and the House of Commons.
Young people taking part in this HeadsUp Forum are available for interview. However, this may take some time to arrange due to the busy academic calendar]. For more information contact Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager at the Hansard Society on 0207 438 1225 or 07812 765 552.
At the end of the debate, a summary report detailing young people’s contributions will be distributed to officials at DEFRA, government ministers, MPs, AMs, MEPS, MSPs and relevant all-party groups in Parliament.
4000 individuals are currently registered with HeadsUp.

17 year old student wins Lord Speaker/Hansard Society essay writing competition

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:01:00 GMT

Matthew Edwards from Merchant Taylors’ School to meet the Lord Speaker

Click here to read the winning entry – Matthew Edwards essay [17KB]

Click here to read the two runners up – James Wilson essay [18KB] and Tianwu Zhang essay [17KB]

Matthew Edwards from Merchant Taylors’ School in Middlesex has won first prize in a nationwide essay competition on the House of Lords.

The winner and two runners-up will spend a day in Parliament on 17 July, touring both Houses in the morning and then meeting the Lord Speaker and members of the judging panel to discuss their essays. In the afternoon they will watch question time in the House of Lords. The winner will have the opportunity to spend a day shadowing the Lord Speaker in the autumn, learning from the inside how the Lord works.

Hundreds of 16 to 18–year-olds from across the country entered the competition on the subject ”First Class Second Chamber: the challenges and merits of an Upper House”. The judging panel comprised, Peter Riddell (Chief Political correspondent for the Times and chair of the Hansard Society), Baroness (Estelle) Morris of Yardley (a former teacher and Secretary of State for Education) and Elizabeth Hallam Smith (Director of Information Services at the House of Lords).

Matthew Edwards is studying politics, French, geography and physics and his interests range from sports to architecture. He is a regular visitor to the Edinburgh Festival and hopes to study politics, philosophy and economics at university. On hearing the news, he commented: “I’m astonished to have won this essay competition and am very much looking forward to speaking with the judging panel about why they liked my submission. I would also like to congratulate the two runners-up on their success.”

James Wilson (17) also from Merchant Taylors’ School and Tianwu Zhang (17) from Aylesbury Grammar School were the two runners-up and will be joining Matthew on the trip to Westminster on 17 July.

The Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman, commented:
“I am delighted that so many young people entered the competition. One of my most important roles is to try and better engage the public, especially young people, in the work of the House of Lords and parliamentary democracy more generally. Hopefully this competition has stimulated interest about the Lords, as well as being enjoyable for the participants.”

Peter Riddell, Chair of the Hansard Society and an essay judge, commented:
“The essays show a range and diversity of thinking about the future of the House of Lords not always matched in the debates earlier this year in Parliament itself. Young people are not all for a fully-elected House. Some prefer a largely appointed House, recognising the dilemmas of the relative balance between the two chambers.”

For further information, contact Virginia Gibbons, Communications Manager at the Hansard Society on 0207 438 1225 or 07812 765 552
Notes for editors

Notes for editors

The Hansard Society is an independent, non-partisan educational charity, which exists to promote effective parliamentary democracy. Our activities, meetings and publications focus on educating people, especially the young, in how the UK Parliament works.
The Hansard Society’s Citizenship Education Programme works with young people through schools and colleges to educate and inform them about parliamentary democracy and develop innovative ways to involve them in participatory democratic activities.
The essay competition was paid for out of the Woolsack Fund, the Lord Speaker’s personal charitable fund set up to support initiatives related the improving the understanding of Parliament.
The Lord Speaker has just completed her first year in office, having been elected as the first Lord Speaker on 4 July 2006. Aside from her duties presiding over the House of Lords from the Woolsack, she also acts as am apolitical ambassador of the House, engaging the public and especially young people in the work of Parliament. For more information on the Lord Speaker’s activities please see: www.parliament.uk/lordspeaker

Y Vote Mock Elections

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 12:51:00 GMT

Over one million young people have been given their first taste of elections since the launch of www.mockelections.co.uk in 2003

Building on the Hansard Society’s 50 year experience of running mock elections, www.mockelections.co.uk provides all of the ballot papers, campaign guidance, rosette templates and other material schools need to organise an exciting election event.

Students get into the campaigning spirit by canvassing support, running as candidates, creating manifestos, building ballot boxes, designing campaign posters and casting their first votes on the day. Mock elections give students a first hand insight into how voting and the democratic process work. Teachers receive a comprehensive resource pack containing a step-by-step guide to running the elections.

The Y Vote Mock Elections pack – downloadable at www.mockelections.co.uk – gives teachers step-by-step guidance and can be interpreted according to the level of students’ understanding of the political process.

Teachers must register online to participate in the Y Vote Mock Elections, and will receive a results poster and certificate acknowledging registration. Results are posted at www.mockelections.co.uk following the elections.

Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families:

"I am very glad to give the support of the Department for Children, School and Families to the Mock Elections website. I congratulate the project for having involved 800,000 students at the time of the 2005 general election and 100,000 students in the Y-Vote Mock Election in 2006.

We are encouraged that young people continue to engage in the political, social and moral issues surrounding an election, through the Y-Vote Mock Election.

The website shows how schools might organise mock elections so that pupils can experience some of the excitement of an election and get a real taste for active democracy. It demonstrates how, in the process, young people can develop skills like team working, communication and the ability to debate and discuss current issues.

I hope that young people continue to participate and I’m sure they will thoroughly enjoy the experience."
For further information contact: Shez Sutton on 020 7438 1221 or email citizenship@hansard.ac.uk