DURING my election campaign, I pledged to work to increase youth engagement in politics, and last Friday I held the first of my Young Persons Politics Forum, at Brimsham Green School.

One of the most common complaints I hear from younger people is that they feel their opinions are neglected by politicians; that their voices do not matter.

The danger is that if young people are not engaged or involved in politics, then politicians ignore them and their needs, which alienates them even more, which makes politicians ignore them even more, and it goes on.

But I believe that the next generation have a wealth of knowledge and understanding that can be extremely helpful to the decision makers in government.

It is crucial to engage the next generation of speakers, activists, and professionals in order to make their voices heard.

If young people do not get involved, then politicians may ignore them, only listening to the voices that shout the loudest, and only further making the young even more disenfranchised.

Gaining work experience, be it volunteering on campaigns or interning with an MP or is key to capturing the interests of young people.

Involvement at the grassroots level is the foundation of being able to develop skills that will be helpful whatever field students wish to pursue.

There were some really interesting debates held by students at the Brimsham Forum; the students discussed the Assisted Dying Bill and the legalisation of drugs. 

The Forums are set up in similar fashion to debating societies.

Students choose topics they feel strongly about and then put together a case and present it to the rest of the group. Once everybody has had a chance to have their say, they voted by blind ballot.

All the students had very strong opinions and the groups were often divided.

There was strong support for the legalisation of drugs, with 80 per cent voting in favour, but a much closer result on whether assisted dying should be legalised, with students voting 60 oer cent in favour.

The session finished with a Q & A in which I answered questions about other government legislation, and many of the students have commented that it has motivated them to get more involved. 

Topics such as these, which are of importance on a national scale are exactly the sort of subjects young people can get inspired about.

These issues can become legislation which will have strong implications for their future and I believe young people in our constituency have just as much to say as everyone else.

I have spoken to several teachers and head teachers about how we can work together to get their students involved.

I want to hold these young persons politics forum sessions regularly, across the constituency, and I would really welcome students or young people from all schools and social clubs getting involved.

If you would like some more information, or to get involved, or have any other ideas about how to engage the next generation in politics, please email my office at Luke.hall.mp@parliament.uk for further information.