YOUTHPOLICYDEVELOPMENTGROUP
2025 - 2026
YPDG
Over the period of the project 20 young people from across the UK will take part in training sessions to sharpen their abilities to get their voice heard and create a lasting impact. From political literacy to journalism the young people are equipped with transferable skills that will increase their confidence and deepen their understanding of policy.
They will then put these skills to use during participation in roundtable discussions with representatives and decision-makers to bring policy change on a nation-wide level.
Meet the Group
Policy Discussions
Should school help prepare young people for Votes at 16?
November 2025
During UK Parliament Week, we teamed up with Votes for Schools to ask young people the vital question:
Should school help prepare young people for Votes at 16?
We were joined by the following parliamentary representatives:
- Baroness Carmen Smith of Llanfaes
- Kayleigh Wainwright, Head of Youth Strategy Engagement, Department of Culture, Media & Sport
- Peter Hatchard, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Elections Directorate
The YPDG where then able to speak about their own experiences of political and media literacy education at schools and what they believe should be done to ensure that 16 year olds feel prepared and ready to cast their vote.
We were also joined by teachers from around the country who spoke about the time-constraints and pressure that may be placed on teachers to provide all the political and media literacy education and instead called for a multi-pronged approach in which civil society organisations, alongside the government and schools work together to provide substantial and impartial media and political literacy education.
