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Due to a lack of funding to rejuvenate the HeadsUp forums & fewer schools recently involved in debates, we have closed the HeadsUp project.
The forums ran for a decade, which in website years is an absolute age!
Here's a round up of what we've achieved since 2003:
- we've racked up nearly 10,000 comments from students in 50 forums
- 330 parliamentarians & decision-makers have taken part in debates with 11-18 year olds
- HeadsUp users' views have been mentioned in debates in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords
- we've run forums on topics as varied as; animal welfare, equality, sex education and foreign affairs
Due to the age of the technology and the difficulty of funding a project like HeadsUp, we have decided to concentrate our efforts on running other politics related projects. We will, however, be using all the things we've learnt about connecting young people with politics and politicians in future projects that we create.
We have a few things in the pipeline but if you have any suggestions for projects you'd like to see or ways you think you could help us to educate young people about politics - please email contact@hansardsociety.org.uk We'd love to hear from you...
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The next HeadsUp forum will focus on the impact of Government spending cuts on young people and their life chances - it runs from Monday 1 - Friday 19 October 2012.
Politicians and policy-makers with an interest in this issue will be debating the impact of the cuts directly with young people.
In advance of the forum there are background materials for students, and teachers' notes to help educators use the forums as part of the Citizenship Curriculum.
Signed up to take part in the debate so far, are:
Simon Kirby MP, Patrick Harvie MSP, Christine Chapman AM and Rebeca Evans AM
If you are a politician or policy-maker or from a relevant civil society
group who would like to take part in the forum please email Beccy Allen, HeadsUp Project Manager.
To register with the website as a young person or teacher please click here.
If you would like to know what our forums will discuss for the rest of the 2012-13 school year please click here.
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The final HeadsUp forum of the year will focus on a once in a lifetime event for most of us!
Our next debate will be ‘The Olympic Games…do you feel part of it?’ – running from Monday 18 June to Friday 6 July.
As ever, accompanying the forum is comprehensive information for under 18s to ensure they understand the issues before the debate starts.
We also have Teachers’ Notes and activities to help teachers deliver lessons around The Games before the debate starts.
The forum is open to be viewed by all and will involve MPs, Peers and other decision-makers yet to be confirmed…
For more, and to register, visit - www.headsup.org.uk
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HeadsUp is an online space for 11-18's to discuss political issues - from 5 - 23 March we'll be discussing family policy.
There's loads of background information to help students understand the issues and notes for teachers to use the forums in lessons.
We also have a range of politicians and NGO's signed up to take part in the debate.
Click here for the list of decision-makers...
The issues we will be focusing on are detailed below:
- Adoption - Who should be allowed to adopt?
- Troubled families - Is it the Government's job to help so called 'troubled families'?
- Family values - What values are important in your family?
- Child poverty - How important is money to building a happy family?
To register as a teacher/youth worker or to take part as a young person, click here.
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Lord Norton, Professor of Government in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull and member of the Hansard Society's Advisory Council has written a staunch defence of Citizenship's place in the National Curriculum for Democratic Life:
When I visit schools as part of the House of Lords ‘Peers in Schools’ programme, I begin by explaining why Parliament matters. Parliament matters because politics matter. We exist within a society where we are bound by rules. Politics constitute the means by which those rules are debated and agreed. Rules that are to have legal force – that constitute the law – are agreed by Parliament. Acts of Parliament are enforced by the courts, police and by other public agencies. Parliament is thus a central part of our constitutional arrangements. Government may wish to pursue a particular policy – that is, apply a particular rule – but that policy will not be enforceable until approved by Parliament.
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Our next HeadsUp forum runs from Monday 21 November – Friday 9 December. “The Media…is it doing its job?” will give young people the chance to discuss the role of the media in our society with their peers from across the UK, and with parliamentarians and other influential decision-makers.
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The latest HeadsUp forum was the most successful yet, attracting a record 1,169 posts from young people across the UK. This time the theme was “How equal is Britain?” and this topic prompted passionate debate on a range of issues, including: the causes of the riots earlier this year; women’s representation in parliament; equality in the education system; and discrimination against women in the world of sport.
For an in-depth look at the forum, read the full report here.
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Hands Up, Who’s Bored? is a campaign to save Citizenship Education in Britain’s schools, run by Danny Bartlett with sponsorship from O2’s ThinkBig project, and supported by Radio One DJ Reggie Yates and Citizenship Education advocates Democratic Life. Danny wants signatories for a petition urging Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove not to remove Citizenship from the National Curriculum. But not only that, Danny wants to revamp the way the subject is taught in this country using creative teaching and new technology. As strong supporters of Citizenship Education in the UK, and as founding members of Democratic Life, The Hansard Society is firmly behind Danny’s campaign.
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HeadsUp is an online debating space for 11-18 year-olds, to
enable young people to discuss their views on political issues with their peers
and influential decision-makers. It aims to build levels of political awareness
and participation so that young people can play an effective role in the
democratic processes affecting their lives.
HeadsUp is also a space that
politicians and political parties can use to consult with young people and find
out their ideas, experiences and opinions.
The HeadsUp topic debates for 2011-2012 have now been
decided and they include:
Equality
(Sept 26 - Oct 14, 2011)
The
Media (Nov 21-Dec 9, 2011)
The
Family (March 5-23, 2012)
You
and Society (April 30 -May 18, 2012)
Olympic
and Paralympic Games (June 18 -July 6, 2012)
Register as a teacher here or as a student here.
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Anna Mammedova, one of the winner's of the Lord Speaker's 2011 competition for young people, gives an account of the competition winners day:
5.30am, my alarm went off. After getting ready me and my mother left home to catch our 6.58am train. Despite it being a long journey, me, my mother and Keith Ross, my Peer Factor nomination, arrived at Westminster and began to make our way forward to Parliament. After being welcomed by the Lord Speaker's personal secretary at the Black Rod's Garden Entrance, we walked up to the River Room, where I was amazed at the view of the River Thames. Here I met the other winners, whom I also congratulated...