How Youth Leads UK’s Partners Help Young People Through Civic Education
Youth Leads UK’s young people have been gaining first-hand insight into the power of democracy, campaigning and the UK political system through the organisation’s inspiring Industry Insight sessions.
Youth Leads UK is passionate about helping young people understand how democracy works and how they can shape it. This commitment runs through our Civic Leadership Programme, where young leaders encourage their peers to explore civic roles and build the knowledge that supports their journey into decision-making and influencing change.
Civic learning also plays a key role in our Leadership Programme, which offers weekly workshops on employability, writing and social action, giving young people the skills and confidence they need to become leaders. As part of this programme, our Industry Insight sessions provide young people with the opportunity to meet professionals who bring different career paths and sectors to life.
Young people across Greater Manchester recently met with Lauren Valentine, Senior Education Officer at the Electoral Commission. Lauren shared her inspiring route into the sector, moving from content writing to project management, and opened young people’s eyes to the varied roles within the Electoral Commission. From campaign officers who encourage young people to vote across digital and traditional media, to researchers who explore young people’s attitudes to voting, she highlighted opportunities that many had never considered.
Lauren challenged young people to think creatively by designing their own campaign to persuade policymakers to support votes at 16, which they then presented back to the group.
Lauren Valentine, Senior Education Officer at the Electoral Commission, said:
“I wanted to get involved with an Industry Insight session because it’s such a great way to show young people the range of careers out there. It’s important for them to see that they don’t need a background in politics to work in democracy or elections – there are so many roles where they can use transferable skills like creativity, problem-solving, and leadership. I also hope it gets them thinking about how they can play a part in shaping democracy, whether that’s through a career in this space or by staying engaged in other ways.”
Young people also heard from Nicola Sansom, Systems Change Lead at Tales to Inspire, who delivered a dynamic session on system change and the fundamentals of the UK political system. She broke down the purpose of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Cabinet and Government Ministers in a clear and accessible way. Nicola encouraged young people to recognise their ability to drive change by contacting their local councillors and understanding who represents them. Through a group activity, they explored the issues they cared about, identified the right political figures to approach and drafted persuasive messages to influence action.
A young participant who attended the sessions said:
“These industry insight sessions helped me gain a deeper understanding of careers in politics. I didn’t realise that my lived experience held so much weight and that I could use it to create an impactful campaign. I also didn’t realise how the British political system worked before, but feel so much more confident thanks to Nicola!”
Saeed Atcha MBE DL, CEO and Founder of Youth Leads UK, said:
“I believe young people deserve to have a wealth of opportunities to enrich their lives. The Industry Insight sessions were developed for this very purpose, and I am delighted that our young people have learnt a great deal from these sessions. A big thank you to Lauren and Nicola for taking the time to talk to our young people and joining us in making their lives more meaningful through skills enrichment.”
The Industry Insight sessions are an opportunity for young people to explore what’s out there. The sessions focused on civic education are vital to creating a growing population of youth that are informed, empowered and ready to lead.
