Some of North Tyneside’s youngest and brightest had the chance to quiz a panel of experts as part of European Democracy Week.
Over 70 students from North Tyneside’s middle and high schools posed questions to a panel of politicians and experts, as part of a ‘Young Person’s Question Time’ session hosted by North Tyneside Council.
The well-attended event, held on October 12, was chaired by BBC Look North’s Adrian Pitches, and formed part of North Tyneside Council’s work to mark this year’s European Local Democracy Week (9 October – 13 October).
Following a similar format to the BBC’s Question Time show, panellists included, alongside representatives from the fields of health, policing, business and the voluntary sector.
Pupils aged between 10 and 17 asked their own questions on the day, covering a broad range of subjects including the UK democracy, online safety, extremism and young carers.
Chair of the Council, Cllr Cath Davis, who was also on the panel, said: “The Young Person’s Question Time is always a fantastic event and this year was no exception.
“There were so many insightful questions and I was very impressed by the knowledge on display from the young people. You can see they have a genuine interest and I’m glad we were able to engage with them and discuss these topics.
“I’d like to thank all of the students who came along and for their fantastic questions, as well as the other panel members for making it such a lively debate.”
Robin Fry, Chief Executive at VODA, said: “I was delighted to be invited to take part in the Young Person’s Question Time this year. There were some fascinating questions asked and it was great to have that discussion and see how strongly the newer generation feels about democracy.”
One of the young people taking part on the day was Jasmine Singh, a Year 8 student from Valley Gardens Middle School, who said: “The event was really interesting and I’m glad I got to be a part of it. There were some really good questions and I think we all learned a lot from the panel’s answers.”
The Young Person’s Question Time is part of a variety of events being held in North Tyneside to mark European Local Democracy Week. Other events included school councils from primary schools coming together to look at the council’s local democracy theme and North Tyneside Youth Council held its annual debate, which is now in its fourth year, as they debated topics such as teaching young people more about politics, doing more to ensure there is no gender bias in the media and first aid being taught in schools.
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