Local school urges students to make their views known
Climate change and a lowering of the voting age to 16 were among the top issues raised by students at Jesmond’s Royal Grammar School (RGS) as part of last month’s national Make Your Mark campaign.
The school held a series of in-class discussions throughout November before students cast their votes through an online ballot.
Make Your Mark is the biggest annual referendum of teenagers in the UK, and aims to encourage young people to get involved in their communities and democracy at a local, national, and international level. The issues which are voted as the most important will be debated by members of the Youth Parliament, which then seeks to lobby local and central government.
RGS politics teacher Lucy Davison told JesmondLocal: “Make Your Mark gives young people the opportunity to vote about the issues they are passionate about, the issues that affect them.”
She added: “Young people don’t have the right to vote, so Make Your Mark is an alternative way for them to have their say.”
Some of the issues voted for by the students included climate change and a lowering of the voting age to 16. Davison described the student body of RGS as “open-minded and progressive” which, she says, is what drove many of them to go online and place their votes.
Make Your Mark was brought to the attention of the school by lower sixth student Abi Tang, who is a member of the Youth Parliament for North Tyneside. Politics student Abi says she felt this was a particularly important year for the campaign: “Young people have been ignored and forgotten about during the past few months. This is our chance to get our voices heard.
“Make Your Mark gives us, as tomorrow’s leaders, a vital chance to bring our fresh perspectives to the forefront of society.”
The Youth Parliament says thousands of young people across the country took part this year, and the issues receiving the most votes will be announced tomorrow (Thursday 10th December).
RGS says it intends to continue to support the campaign in the coming years, and hopes to see other local schools get involved too.