Political awareness for youth council
At a recent ‘political awareness conference’ at the Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre, Year 10 and 11 srtudents from schools across the Limavady Borough took part in the open debate. Before learning about the different political parties’ views, each participant was handed a replica voting card and asked to cast their vote. A voting and political awareness quiz followed to assess students’ knowledge of the political system and local representatives. This was followed by two political parties, chosen at random, who openly debated a range of topics - from recycling, underage drinking and flags to youth punishment and more. The programme for the day also including ‘Speed dating’, which involved representatives from the local parties moving from table to table, answering quick fired political questions posed to them from the students.
After engaging in discussions and taking into account their learning throughout the day, students cast their votes again to see if views changed.