Pupils from secondary schools in Kent have been presenting their views on issues on animal cruelty, support for the LGBTQ+ community, littering, knife crime, bullying, homelessness, cost of living crisis, and the climate crisis, to Labour MP Polly Billington.
Year 7 Students from the Royal Harbour Academy, Hartsdown Academy, and King Ethelbert School, took part in six sessions of the Change Makers programme where students were guided through interactive workshops asking them to respond to local or global issues.
A Year 7 Royal Harbour Academy student involved in the project said: “The experience of Change Makers helps me overcome my fear of talking in front of people. Now I feel that I can do that. It has given me a new skill of listening, understanding, and building on people’s feedback, so I can communicate with other people about my message.”
Through each successive session, students produced posters, poems, and graphic novels, designed to form a campaign of awareness and positive change relating to their topic of choice.
Polly Billington, MP for East Thanet, said: “It was inspiring to meet young people at the Royal Harbour Academy in Ramsgate and hear their thoughts on what community means to them.
“I know the importance of learning to speak up and speak out, and the Change Makers programme does fantastic work supporting students in schools across Thanet to do just that. “It’s vital not only for the workplace, but for life: to make the case for yourself, for your loved ones, and for your community.
“I look forward to seeing many more confident, articulate young people in Thanet as a result of this important programme.”
Change Makers is part of an outreach mission to engage young people in Higher Education, raise aspirations, boost confidence, and help to increase GCSE subject attainment of students who attend the sessions. It aims to break down barriers to opportunity at every stage for school children. It is led by Canterbury Christ Church University in collaboration with the Kent and Medway Progression Federation.
Dylan Stallard, KaMCOP Project Officer at Canterbury Christ Church University, said: “We designed the programme to foster a celebration of creativity, to amplify students’ voices and reinforce the importance of oracy, the humanities, and the arts in shaping a socially conscious generation. We’re so proud of the work they have produced.”
Listening, understanding, and communication 3 things that Polly billington fails to do with the people of Thanet. Hopefully she has learnt from the children that being honest and open with the local community is the way forward and not just sitting back and hiding behind the failing labour party’s distruction of this country
“I know the importance of learning to speak up and speak out….”
Yet had comments disabled previously. Very confusing.
This rather pathetic trop that Polly is not listening to people is beginning to wear very thin. Every week she is reported at events in one or more of thanet’s towns. She has a packed surgey as well as being one of the most active MP’s in the house on a range of topics relevent to thanet residents, including chairing MP’s groups on Coastal communities. What a change from the previous encombant!
One of the most active in the house, why don’t you wake up Green ,she is useless
According to Hansard, Polly Billington has made 179 spoken contributions in parliament.
Why did she only write a column (just the once) for this very newspaper on condition that comments are disabled then? What a change from the previous encombant!
Mr Green – oh dear – this character will be unelectable as will be Labour Party. Unbelievable how they have behaved and putting our country in financial nose dive !
Not as pathetic as labour still blaming the previous government for 14 years of failure yawn! Yawn! Yawn!
It’s trope David, and ignore the misogynist old farts, they say the same thing time after time.
Not a single comment has mentioned her sex or gender. So I don’t understand the misogynist reference. I do fully understand the ageist “old farts” comment. Fortunately I take no offence at this & am somewhat proud to be classed as one. When the only response is name calling you know there is little real argument to what you’ve said. As for saying the same thing time after time, when it’s the truth I have no problem doing so. Ms Billington did insist that comments were disabled on a piece she wrote here. Doesn’t sound like speaking up is that important to her.
Georgina is obsessed with gender.
Mr. Brown- as everyone knows that our MP is a woman, there is no need to mention her sex or gender.
Tell that to George! I notice he never defends the KCC leader though… who happens to be non-Labour.
I will defend her if she puts a stop to the antics of Stagecoach, but so far all we have received from her is sound bites,photo ops, and the Farage bull shine road show.
All I am saying Strangely Brown,and I am curious Checksfield, is that Polly B receives not reasoned critique,but often
misogynist sledging. Be my guest criticise the policies she stands for, but also very prepared for gge back draft, if those criticisms are off beam.
As far as I know Polly B is not a book ban storm trooper, but Linden Kemkaran is on record as the latter.I am on the side of the reader, and on the side of freedom not censorship, Reform clearly are not.By the way Checkers my old sparring partner, changing the subject often means you feel under stress.
Strangely you’ve chosen to concentrate your answer on the change of subject.
Could you tell me exactly what you believe I said that was misogynistic?
Also, how does not allowing comments sit with you when you are on the side of freedom and not censorship?
Nokes, I suggest you look back at the comments on articles by Craig MacKinlay – and then tell me that Polly only gets criticism because she’s a woman.
https://theisleofthanetnews.com/?s=MacKinlay
The House of Lords has just reported on the scale of abuse received by MPs. It’s got so bad, especially for women that the government is going too take action.
MacKinlay was and is a silly ass,with daft comments, but nobody ever wrote about his gender or made threats,if he had been Cathy Mackinlay you bet she would have received a large measure of abuse.
I have no issue about reasoned criticism of Billingham, but even when she is talking to school kids you start all this stuff.I think you need chill out and only comment when she goofs,or when she dies something positive.
Nobody has written about Ms Billington’s gender or made threats here either.
She may well be offended that you got her name wrong, I don’t know.
I think pointing out a statement she made that is it stark contrast to her actions in the past is reasoned criticism, who she made the statement to is irrelevant.
The fact you yourself continue to make abusive remarks (“MacKinlay was and is a silly ass”) but highlight the scale of abuse MP’s receive is very telling. Along with your refusal to answer direct questions.
George Ozzy “Iron Man” Nokes has a vivid imagination.
Maybe like Ozzy he has now retired & the above was his final performance. We just didn’t know it.