By Isabel H, Year 12

“Should we go and speak to her?” 

“What if she says no?”

“It would be so embarrassing.” 

“But what do we have to lose?”

These were the questions whispered frantically between the NextGen Politics team after an assembly delivered by the MP for Ealing Central and Acton, Dr Rupa Huq.

We are NextGen Politics: a group of four Year 12 students participating in GDST LEAD, a programme run in partnership with the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. LEAD encourages students to develop an enterprising mindset and make changes in areas that matter to them. With an A-level Politics student on our team and the rest of us being very interested in current affairs, we quickly agreed on our focus: increasing political engagement among young people in the UK. 

We believe this is vital in shaping an informed, active, and empowered future generation of citizens. Our aim is to create a student-led non-partisan online platform that helps the younger demographic understand UK politics. The goal is to make information more accessible and help reduce misinformation, encouraging informed participation in future elections – especially as the national voting age has been lowered to 16. 

So, when we walked into the main hall on Thursday morning and saw Dr Huq at the front, we were immediately excited. Following an engaging assembly about life at Westminster, and with Ms Postlethwaite’s recent assembly on communication and networking in our minds, we decided to take a risk. Nerves aside, we headed to the front of the hall to introduce ourselves and share our project. 

Despite our initial apprehension, we couldn’t have been more lucky with the enthusiasm Dr Huq showed towards us and our project – and even invited us to Parliament. 

The following Wednesday, on a rainy London afternoon, we jumped on the District Line and headed to Westminster. While there, we were given the incredible opportunity to watch a live vote in the House of Commons from the viewing gallery, followed by a short interview with Dr Huq, where we asked about the importance of political education and youth engagement. 

The moral of the story? Put yourself out there. If we hadn’t stepped forward, nervously asking Dr Huq if she would be willing to help us, we would never have experienced Parliament firsthand. It was a truly enriching opportunity – and one that will undoubtedly strengthen our project moving forward. 

Follow the NextGen Politics Instagram at: nextgenpolitics4