Shout Out UK is urging supporters to sign an e-petition to create equitable, high-quality political and citizenship education in schools across the United Kingdom.

The petition, launched by the UK Youth Parliament, highlights the urgent need to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to engage confidently in democratic life, especially with the announcement that 16- and 17-year-olds will soon be able to vote in national and local elections across the country. 

Currently, access to political and citizenship education varies significantly between schools and regions as (although these topics are statutory for schools to teach) the responsibility for planning and teaching these topics is often split between multiple teachers. 

This leaves many young people without consistency and thus without the tools to understand how decisions are made and how they can influence them.  

It is vital we support schools with these lessons, which are often seen as an after-thought, and add consistency to this part of the curriculum. It’s for this reason that Shout Out UK is supporting UK Youth Parliament’s campaign to urge the Government to invest in high-quality non-partisan political and citizenship lesson resources that any teacher can use. 

Matteo Bergamini, MBE, Founder and CEO of Shout Out UK said:

“Enfranchising 16- and 17-year-olds is a vital step for our democracy, but along with providing the right to participate, we must also support the next generation in ensuring they are able to effectively navigate a digital landscape fraught with misinformation. To ensure these newly empowered voters can participate with confidence, the Government must move beyond the current ‘postcode lottery’ of citizenship education and invest in consistent, high-quality, impartial resources and teacher training. A cross-departmental approach to Political and Media Literacy, as called for in the recent Policy brief of the APPG on Political and Media Literacy, is now a matter of national interest to protect our democratic future from the harms of misinformation and AI-driven manipulation.”

The UK Youth Parliament argues that it is essential the Government act in order to foster informed, active citizens and strengthen our democracy in an age of AI and algorithms. 

Alex Nurton, who sits on Youth Parliament’s Campaign Committee, says commitment to this is a matter of national interest: 

“Currently, access to political and citizenship education is a postcode lottery as – research by Shout Out UK and the APPG on Political and Media Literacy shows – many teachers lack the support to feel confident teaching these topics and students lack the consistency in lessons. With any teacher able to access high-quality, unbiased lesson resources, we can raise the standard and frequency of these lessons. Having every young person in the UK informed and equipped with the skills needed to engage in our democracy and society is essential. 

That’s why we are so grateful to have the backing of Shout Out UK. Their support shows a recognition that the way we teach young people today will have a lasting effect on this country for decades to come and that’s why we must act now to support students and teachers with political and citizenship education.” 

People can sign the e-petition and find out more about the campaign here. 

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

  • The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) represents young people aged 11–18 across the UK and campaigns on issues voted for by young people themselves.
  • UKYP was founded in 1999 to give young people a voice in the political process.
  • This campaign was voted as a priority by 300+ Members of Youth Parliament in the February 2025 House of Commons Sitting.  
  • These topics (per the Government guidance) include: how the UK is governed (i.e. Parliament, Democracy, the Government, and the political system); how laws are made; rights, responsibilities, and the liberties enjoyed by UK citizens; public institutions; human rights and international law; financial education; and fundamental British values.
  • For further information on the APPG on Political and Media Literacy and The Missing Link report on the provision of democratic education in England, please contact: [email protected]

For media requests from the Youth Parliament UK, please contact [email protected]

citizenship political literacy votes at 16 youth parliament