A student at The Manchester Grammar School is hoping to give young people across the UK a voice in politics after setting up his own website.
Year 10 pupil Daniel Lawes, 14, from Didsbury, has launched www. teenpolitics.co.uk as a platform for teenagers to assert their political views.
Daniel – along with James Sullivan-McHale, 15, who is also from The Manchester Grammar School – was moved to set up the project because of the difficulty young people have in having their voices heard in politics.
So far the pair have received support from a host of politicians who have given the project their seal of approval, including Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party.
Daniel said: “At a time when our views often get dismissed by MPs, when only 44% of 18-year-olds voted in the 2010 election, when young people’s voices often go unheard, it is evident that something is wrong.
“So I set up the website with the aim of engaging young adults across the country about current affairs, our democratic rights and how parliament works.
“I hope teenagers who are as passionate as I am about certain issues will write articles and share their views with the rest of the UK.
“I hope that an additional result of the organisation will be that politicians start to listen to us when making decisions regarding our education and well-being.”
Before the website had even been launched, Daniel had many emails from teenagers across the country who wished to write articles and get involved. Local Manchester MPs and some MEPs have also given their support to the website.
“The feedback has been astounding,” Daniel added.
“My ambition is that the website will continue to expand and reach out to thousands of teenagers across the UK. By doing so, we can establish a large voice and really communicate our opinions and feelings regarding current issues in a way we have never been able to before.
“Hopefully this will also allow me to communicate my views at the same time regarding issues I feel very strongly about such as getting 16-year-olds the right to vote, modern day racism, hate crime, LGBT rights and social inequality.”
To learn more about the website, visit www.teenpolitics.co.uk.
