Citizen Schools Alliance Events

About our Events

Every member school of the Citizen Schools Alliance gets to take part in a showcase curriculum/community linking programme every two years. The Young People's Agenda is an example of exciting, engaging citizenship in action, and begins with young people 'listening' to their communities, and how they would make London better. A great way for young people to actively learn about politics, communities, government and decision-making, in 2009 this culminated in...

the Young Citizens Assembly 2009

1500 young people descended on the O2 in North Greenwich on 1st April 2009 for the Young Citizens' Assembly 2009 - where London's young people put forward their priorities for change the capital's power players, who committed to working with the Young Citizens to make it happen.

So it was that Jim Knight MP, Minister for Schools, committed to working with London's young citizens to develop more community language options for GCSEs, to enable London's diverse young population to succeed more and raise achievement in London's schools. Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for London, committed to supporting London Citizens' 'Strangers into Citizens' campaign, calling for recognition, justice and rights for irregular migrants. Starbucks, the largest coffeehouse in the UK, committed to young citizens' CitySafe campaign - where shops act as havens for young people fearful of their safety. And Steve Bloomfield, Metropolitan Police Commander, committed to working with young people to develop their CitySafe Champions scheme, where young people work with the police to build better relationships - for example by helping to run join training sessions for police on stop and search.

It takes power to make decision-makers commit. It took the London Citizens' Schools Alliance - a network of schools committed to education for active, responsible citizens - bringing together 40 different schools, colleges, universities and youth groups representing 25,000 young people across London. It took every school, college, university and youth group being recognised and represented on stage to convey the diverse power and strength of the Alliance. It took 1500 student leaders from the Alliance three months of listening to their fellow students and communities about what they most wanted to change about London. It took 250 young citizens' debating and negotiating which issues were most important, and communicating the resulting Young People's Agenda of Safety, Migrants' Rights and Transport back to their schools to ensure power players were greeted with a packed IndigO2 come April 1st.. It took powerful oratory from the student leaders assembled, who asked direct questions to decision-makers and presented strong arguments for change.. And it took the testimonies of Margaret and Barry Mizen, parents of Jimmy Mizen, killed in a bakery on May 10th last year, of Tyeisha Litambola, sister of murdered young citizen Bob Litambola, and of Farhan Zakaria, a qualified and successful teacher of French and Bengali whose school and friends have mounted a campaign to stop him from being deported because of a change in immigration law.

The first London-wide gathering of the Citizen Schools Alliance brought young people together to make positive, constructive, change happen. It was young people doing and experiencing politics - right here, right now.

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In the run-up to the O2 events, schools came together at Friends' House, Euston to debate and decide which issues were put to the power players at...

the Young Delegate's Assembly

300 students from 20 primary schools, secondary schools, 6th form colleges and youth groups from across London gathered together to decide their top priorities for a better London. Each group of young people represented their communities, having completed a 'listening campaign; in the weeks before the Assembly, asking their peers what they most want changed and why. At the Assembly, delegates split into mixed groups across all year groups. They undertook a problem-solving warm up, and then discussed and debated their priorities for London. Six themes emerged - ranging from Safety to Education - after which young people were invited to attend optional speech-writing workshops over lunch. Six young people gave speeches on each theme to the whole assembly, and the delegates voted on their top three. The final agenda went forward to the April 1st Young Citizens' Assembly at the O2.