Archived press release

Date Published: 09/10/06

The deputy leader of AVDC will be returning to the classroom as part of Local Democracy Week (16 to 20 October). Councillor Margaret Morgan-Owen will be visiting the Waddesdon Church of England School on 18 October to talk to young people and fin...

The deputy leader of AVDC will be returning to the classroom as part of Local Democracy Week (16 to 20 October).

Councillor Margaret Morgan-Owen will be visiting the Waddesdon Church of England School on 18 October to talk to young people and find out what is important to them. She will also be explaining the importance of having a vote and why democracy is so important to the way we live.

Year 12 and 13 students at the school will no doubt have plenty they want to ask and will be tackling the councillor on a number of subjects, including what the role of a councillor is, what responsibilities young people have in the community and how they can become more involved in issues that are important to them.

As well as arranging the school visit, AVDC will be inviting students from The Grange School in Aylesbury and the Cottesloe School in Wing to attend a cabinet meeting on 10 October.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor John Cartwright, and other cabinet members will meet with the students before the meeting to explain how the council works and discuss their responsibilities. The students will have the chance to question the councillors about their work before watching a cabinet meeting in progress.

These events form part of the nationally-run Local Democracy Week, which aims to help young people become more interested and involved in local politics. The theme of the week this year is ‘Take Part, Take Power’, which aims to make councils more relevant to young people.

Councillor John Cartwright said: “We realise how important it is to get young people interested in
local government and show them how they can make a difference. Local Democracy Week provides us with a good opportunity to explain how the council works and, more importantly, to listen to young people. Through visiting schools and inviting students to come to council meetings we can encourage young people to take a more active role in local politics.”

Councillor Margaret Morgan-Owen said: “I am really looking forward to meeting the students and sharing some time with them. Going out to schools and meeting young people is an excellent way for them to learn more about what councils and councillors do and likewise for us to find out what is important to them.”

Alan Armstrong, Headteacher at Waddesdon Church of England School, said: “Although recent national reports on citizenship provision in schools have been negative, we have recently been praised by Ofsted for our citizenship programme. Understanding governance is one strand of the citizenship programme and it is very important for young people to learn about local democracy and take an interest in community matters. Councillor Morgan-Owen’s visit to our school is an excellent opportunity for the students to discuss issues important to them in their surroundings.”