On Friday, 10th May I met around 100 students at Kingsthorpe College. I was invited by the school and the National Citizen Service (NCS), a hugely successful and popular scheme which helps 15 and 17-year-olds make new friends, improve their confidence and acquire important life skills. The NCS hosted the session, which was based around representation, voting and youth engagement in politics. I gave a speech and held a question and answer session to allow the students to ask me about my work as a local MP and about politics more broadly.
I am a keen supporter of the NCS, which has done so much to offer opportunities and skills to children aged between 15 and 17, and I always enjoy talking to young people about politics. More than 1,500 teenagers from Northamptonshire have volunteered as part of the NCS for a total of over 47,000 hours and I would encourage all 15, 16 and 17-year olds in Northampton to take part in NCS. The vast majority of participants report back that they hugely enjoy the experience.