19 November 2013
Recently in school, we have encouraged pupils to take part in a nationwide consultation called, the "Make Your Mark Ballot".
The Make Your Mark Ballot is run by the UK Youth Parliament and is the perfect way for young people to voice their biggest concerns and get them heard. The ballot itself has a list of 15 issues that affect young people’s day to day life (for example, transport, youth unemployment and education) and all they had to do was tick the issue that they felt was most important to them.
These Ballots had to be counted and the five issues with the most votes will be debated at the Houses of Commons by the Members of Youth Parliament to see which of these issues should be taken on as a national campaign. Throughout the whole of the North West, a total of 44,000 ballot papers had been filled out and 15,000 of these came from Lancashire. However, the district that supplied the most ballot papers in all of the North West and Lancashire put together was the Fylde. Even better yet, LSA High School were the single biggest contributor in the Fylde!
The top five statements for this year have been:
- · A national curriculum to prepare us for life
- · There should be an opportunity to have at least one week of compulsory work experience
- · Young people aged 16 and 17 should be allowed to vote
- · To combat youth unemployment across the country
- · There should be a zero tolerance on bullying
It is very reassuring to know that LSA High School already provide everything that young people up and down the country are asking for. Our Life lessons encompass everything that the Curriculum For Life campaign (which was last year’s top campaign) asks for; there is provision for work experience in year 10 that is compulsory and the school have a well-established Anti Bullying provision.
For more information, or to get involved with the Make Your Mark Campaign or the Youth Parliament, visit www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk
Contributed by Hal Meakin, Year 11
