Last week saw Bath MP Ben Howlett attend a Bite the Ballot session as part of the National Citizen’s Service, where he said that more 16-year-olds should become involved in politics.
Bite the Ballot has a goal of laying the foundations for every 16-year-old in Britain from 2020 onwards, to view political engagement and changemaking as habitual and a rite of passage.
The National Citizen’s Service is a British voluntary personal and social development programme for 16- and 17-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland.
Edward Hodges, from Southside Youth Centre, who helped organise the event, said: “We were extremely grateful that Ben Howlett was able to visit and participate in a democratic engagement workshop with 55 teenagers at Bath University.
“NCS is a fantastic programme for young people, but it is made even better by the support of people like Ben. We are looking forward to seeing Ben again at the NCS summer graduation ceremony on 1st September.”
“Giving young people the opportunity to engage directly with their local MP and tell him what is important to young people in Bath is extremely important.
“We are very lucky to have an MP who is prepared to answer questions on all areas of government policy, and to address the concerns that they have.”
Ben said: “As a young MP myself and someone who has been involved in politics from a young age, I am passionate about encouraging the younger generation to be more engaged and participate in the political process.
“The National Citizen’s Service is an excellent forum for bringing younger people into politics and I was delighted to have the opportunity to talk directly with more young people this week.”