Alex Cunningham is supporting the launch of the ‘Chance to be Chancellor’ and is calling on all young people in his constituency of Stockton North to take part.
Organised by educational charity Citizenship Foundation in partnership with Aviva, Chance to be Chancellor is a part of ‘Paying for It’, an educational programme that provides a free range of resources to develop economic awareness amongst young people.
Chance to be Chancellor is open to all 14-18 year olds and Alex is urging students in Stockton North to get involved. The initiative challenges participants to grapple with issues that face the Chancellor ahead of the official Budget in mid-March 2013. Students are required to learn about, and share their opinions on, a selection of possible policies detailed on the Chance to be Chancellor website.
Students can also enter a national competition by creating a short video (max 90 seconds) arguing their choices with a chance to win an iPad. All entries will be collated to produce the ‘Youth Budget’, a report launched in anticipation of the official budget to give the voters of the future a platform for their views on important economic issues.
Speaking about the competition, Alex commented:
“Chance to be Chancellor is a fantastic way of bringing the current economic challenges into schools in Stockton. It’s also a great opportunity for students to have their say on what they think should be included in Budget 2013.
“I encourage as many students as possible in Stockton to get involved and submit their ideas on how to tackle the current economic challenges; a particularly difficult challenge in the current climate. I wish all entrants the best of luck.”
Andy Thornton, Chief Executive, Citizenship Foundation said:
“It’s hugely empowering to let young people not yet old enough to vote to feed their views into the democratic process. This supports their learning and growth as equals in a fair society which they will one day inherit. Getting to have a say on Budget 2013 is a clear example of how citizenship education allows students to get under the skin of the big challenges of the day.”
