Democracy Fair at Warlingham School

Thoroughly enjoyed going along to Warlingham School's Democracy Fair to meet with students and discuss their views on a range of important political issues.

The fair was intended to give students from all years a positive experience of engaging with democracy and its ideals, whilst also providing a welcome platform for students to highlight their advocacy and representation skills. I was asked to give my opinion on a number of issues – including, amongst others, voting systems, the power of lobbying groups, and the reasons for having democracy itself – and was asked to say whether I was for or against each particular proposal.

With over 30 stalls at the Democracy Fair, each subject could only receive the briefest discussion – but what came through strongly was the sense of deep thought that had been put in by the students on each and every subject.

It was clear from the final pitches that all the students have shown considerable research skills in coming to a distinct position on their particular subject. They'd coupled this with good project management, teamwork and an ability to get their points across in an articulate and persuasive manner. I was thoroughly impressed all round.

The projects also counted towards the completion of a sizable chuck of their GCSE Citizenship coursework. Whether it was debating the place of the internet in a democracy, the role of the EU and UN in global politics, or giving the vote to 16 year olds – all the students presented serious, well-thought out arguments which gave me food for thought. Real debate and dialogue is what engages people, and these students have got some great ideas to work through the big questions we're facing at the moment. It was great to see young people enthused by and knowledgeable about British democracy!

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