The week beginning 3 February was Make Your Mark voting week at USP College! On this week, our junior ambassadors teamed up with members of staff, the student union, the Thurrock Youth Cabinet and the Castle Point Youth Council to organise a student vote on key issues in college and nationwide. This was part of a wider national campaign known as Make Your Mark, which aims to encourage youth participation and engagement in politics.

Junior ambassadors joined teachers in students’ weekly tutor sessions to hold a series of debates and discussions about voting, government policies and European and British politics. At the end of each tutor session, teachers and ambassadors took students down to voting booths to cast their votes on the most important issues nationwide and in college. To this end, we helped set up private voting booths in the Seevic and Palmer’s campuses.

The three key national issues which were voted on by students included crime and safety, culture, media and sport, and jobs, economy and benefits. The four key issues in college were transport, environment and climate change, work experience, and trips and CPD days.

The results will be counted by junior ambassadors and the student union and announced after the return to college at the end of this month. George Hare, the Member of Youth Parliament for Thurrock, will then raise the winning issues in the House of Commons to be debated by MYPs and MPs from across the country!

Stay tuned to find out the winning issues!