What a wonderful week it has been and a perfect end to this Parliamentary session.  Thank you to all the speakers who took part in my 2023 Political Summer School welcoming students from across Hornsey & Wood Green’s schools – I couldn’t have done it without them. This year’s summer school was a great opportunity to be at the heart of it all and learn how national, regional, and local government works. Here’s what we got up to during the week:

Monday

The students began the week with a tour of Parliament where they learnt about the history of the estate and saw the famous green and red benches. After the tour, the students met my team, to understand the workings of an MP’s office, and I formally welcomed them to the programme. I spoke to the young students about my journey into politics, life as an MP and why it’s so important that young people are politically active and passionate. My colleague, David Lammy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, spoke about his international role and took some challenging questions from the group.

The students also spent some time in the Chamber and watched Labour’s Bridget Phillipson MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, take on the Secretary of State during Education Orals. Later, we had the pleasure of hearing from the Chief Whip of the Labour Party, Alan Campbell MP, and Deputy Speaker Dame Rosie Winterton MP. Both Alan and Dame Rosie spoke in length about their road into politics, their duties as Members of Parliament and the importance of their respective roles. Students very much enjoyed this session and had plenty of questions to ask both speakers. We ended the day with an interactive session led by the Civil Service Policy Unit where the students had to design their own policy and learn about joining the Civil Service.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the students headed over to City Hall in the Royal Docks to meet their local Assembly Members and learn about regional politics.

In the morning, London Assembly Member for Enfield and Haringey, Joanne McCartney spoke about her role and career journey. She was joined by Tom Copley, the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, who talked about his inspirations and mission to build affordable and social housing in London. Students asked a variety of questions, including on housing and homelessness. Shortly after this, the students watched a Fire, Resilience and Planning committee hearing in the assembly, learning about how assembly members hold different organisations to account.

In the afternoon, my office ran a session on debating and the students took part in a role-play Parliamentary session. It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to showcase some of the knowledge they had gained from Monday. Mayor Sadiq Khan dropped in to watch one of the debates and welcomed the students to City Hall. Later, the students heard from Wilson Solicitors, a law firm that specialises in legal aid and immigration advice. The panellists spoke about their journey into law, proving that there are so many diverse ways to become a solicitor or barrister in the UK. They also spoke about the Illegal Migration Bill, challenges faced by refugees in Haringey and the underfunding of legal aid by the Tory Government.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, the students were back in Parliament where they began with a fantastic session on law making at the Parliamentary Education Centre. Then the students watched Prime Minister’s Questions and shared their thoughts on the debating style, discussed topics and answered the question: “If you were Leader of the Opposition, which questions would you ask during PMQs”

In the afternoon, the students met the Patchwork Foundation, a charity that promotes, encourages, and supports the active participation of young people from disadvantaged and minority communities in British democracy and civil society. The Patchwork Foundation team spoke about their mission, work with young people and upcoming internships. They even challenged the students to design their own policy!

The students also spoke to trade union campaigner Charley Allan and learnt about the role of trade unions. Charley discussed the history of unions in the UK and how the Government is trying to pass legislation to undermine trade unions and workers’ rights.

I was delighted that the pupils of my Politics Summer School had an opportunity to meet the British Inter-Parliamentary Union. The BGIPU aims to serve Britain’s interests through advancing the Parliamentary dimension of Britain’s foreign relations. The session highlighted the importance of parliamentary co-operation, diplomacy, and ways we can encourage parliaments across the world to be inclusive and democratic. This was a fantastic session on foreign policy and one BGIPU member spoke about their career journey and the power of learning foreign languages when navigating the international community.

Finally, the students spoke to housing campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa. Having grown up in poor-quality social housing, Kwajo has led the way in campaigning for better social housing conditions. He spoke to the students about the UK housing emergency, the importance of social housing and what politicians needs to do to fix this crisis. Activists like Kwajo are fundamental in highlighting different issues that people face and holding politicians to account. So, I hope this session taught the students about creating positive change for their local community.

Thursday

Thursday was based in the constituency as I wanted to showcase the amazing work of our Haringey Councillors and community members. In the morning, the participants arrived at Haringey Council for a two-hour discussion and Q&A with Councillor Peray Ahmet, Leader of the Council, Councillor Zena Brabazon, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families and Councillor Mike Hakata, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment, and Transport and Deputy Leader of the Council. The Councillors spoke about their love of local politics and how they advocate for change. They also spoke about their individual roles, and this was followed by a lively Q&A where the students asked questions on the environment, education and quality or availability of housing in Haringey.

In the afternoon, the students visited the Record Shop, a social enterprise in Wood Green Mall. The Record Shop offers a plethora of services including vinyl and artwork sale, free music recording for people aged 15-25 and open-mic opportunities to showcase young people’s work in music, with a focus on the local community. The owner, Mary Otumahana, spoke about her journey in the music industry, the experience of running a social enterprise and why she chose this particular community to base her business in. The participants later enjoyed a tour around the shop in smaller groups, while they also engaged in an interactive team activity. Split into 5 teams, students were tasked with pitching a small business idea, including how they would utilise a grant. The groups then pitched their ideas and received feedback on the feasibility of their business plan by Ms Otumahana, who also chose a winning team at the end of the challenge.

We then returned to Haringey Council, where Councillor Mary Mason was expecting the students for a session on food security, policy, and community improvement. Cllr Mason discussed the importance of food for individual and community prosperity, including the success in education and employment. She answered the participant’s questions regarding figures of poverty and food insecurity in Haringey and gave an insight on the running of Bounds Green Food Bank, assessing community needs and recruiting business partners.

For the last session of the day, Robert Collins, Audience and Content Editor at Ham & High introduced the students to the world of local media. Mr Collins focused on the significance of multifaceted news sources, fake news, and the importance of fact checking. Mr Collins provided a fascinating insight into the day-to-day tasks of a journalist or editor, as well as the different types of journalism and news outlets. The students, who had prepared their own articles before the session, presented their work to the group. The Ham and High team will be reviewing these articles and one student’s piece will appear in the Ham and High!

Friday

Our final day was a moment for celebration and achievement. The participants gathered at George Meehan House to hear from Mayor Lester Buxton, youngest-ever mayor of Haringey. The Mayor spoke about his role, balancing full-time employment and the importance of civic participation for young people. I also thanked the students for their dedication and participation in the summer school.

This year’s cohort of students were passionate, kind, and incredibly intelligent – I’m so proud of my young constituents and am sure they will go on to do wonderful things. I’d encourage anyone with an interest in politics to apply for my next summer school, particularly those who currently feel underrepresented in politics. It’s a unique opportunity to learn about the workings of our political system, have your voices heard and learn new skills!