Working in Europe for Everyone in Yorkshire and the Humber

11th October 2006 - Students set to get young people talking Politics

Tired with interference in your school dinners? Want to know what globalisation is? Or worried about the use of nuclear power and the future for the environment? Well here’s your chance to stop thinking about it, start talking about it and get your voice heard. Students from the University of Sheffield are holding a free conference to encourage local people to engage with politics and address the issues that matter to them. The conference, which has been named the ‘Sheffield Festival of Politics’, will be held at the University’s Arts Tower, Western Bank on Saturday October 14 from 1.30pm – 5.30pm.

The theme of the festival will be ‘Politics at a crossroads: What Next?’, and will be discussed by three keynote speakers and in four discussion seminars. The Keynote speakers will be Sir Bernard Crick, world famous political philosopher, academic and former lecturer in the Politics department at the University of Sheffield, as well as Caroline Flint MP, local MP for the Don Valley and a Government Health Minister and Linda McAvan MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber. The seminars will focus on issues such as Party politics and the War on Terror and look at the issues behind the headlines.

The four seminars will be run in a Question Time style format with invited speakers, representing a broad range of political views, making up the four panels. Panellists will include local Sheffield councillors from all of the main political parties, representatives from political think tanks and political pressure groups such as Compass and the Fawcett Society, as well as representatives from student organisations from within the University. These will include People and Planet, Conservative Future, Labour Students, The Floor, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the United Nations Youth and Student Association.

Tom Hunt, the co-organiser of the Sheffield Festival of Politics, who is studying Politics at the University of Sheffield encourages young people and members of the public to come to the conference and to get actively involved in politics in their everyday lives.

He said: “Our aim for the festival is simply to get people talking about politics, particularly young people. We have sent out invitations to the festival to all of the secondary schools, sixth form colleges and further education colleges in Sheffield. Our aim is to get as many young people as possible to attend so that the festival extends beyond the university and becomes a community event”.

He added: “The festival is the perfect opportunity for young people and all members of the public to discuss political issues that matter to them. With such a high turnout of local councillors expected and a local MP and MEP attending, it is the ideal forum for people to engage with politics and discuss local, national and international issues.”

Those interested in attending the Sheffield Festival Politics can simply turn up on the day. People can also e-mail festivalofpolitics@hotmail.co.uk with any questions or queries about the Festival.

Amicus and South Yorkshire Connect (Young Labour in South Yorkshire) are supporting the festival and have donated money to help cover costs.