Celebrating my fifth successful Campaign Summer School

I was delighted to welcome local young people to the fifth edition of my Campaign Summer School this July.

Held over three days at London South East Colleges’ Greenwich Campus in Plumstead, the programme was designed to help young people learn more about politics, develop practical campaigning skills and build the confidence to make their voices heard.

I first launched the Campaign Summer School in 2021, during the height of the pandemic, because I wanted to give local students hands-on insight into how positive change happens. The programme has now taken place five times, pausing only in 2024 because of the General Election.

This year, we brought together an inspiring range of speakers from Parliament, politics, local government, the media, business and campaigning.

Damien Arness-Dalton from the UK Parliament’s Education and Engagement Outreach Team led a session on how Parliament and democracy work, while Chisola Chitambala, who appeared on the BBC’s The Apprentice, spoke about her experiences as a trailblazer in the corporate world.

Students also heard from tampon tax campaigners Laura Coryton MBE and Rima Amin about how a petition can grow into a successful national campaign.

Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and Martin Angus, Political Adviser at the Local Government Association, discussed local government and community leadership.

Paul Richards, a writer, broadcaster and former government special adviser, led a practical session on how to write a press release. Aletha Adu, political correspondent at The Guardian, spoke about the role of the media and how young people can get started in journalism.

We were also joined by strategy consultant John Lehal, who shared his experience of careers in public affairs and politics, and Bashir Ibrahim, who spoke about his role as a senior adviser to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

It was fantastic to see the energy, curiosity and thoughtful ideas that the students brought to every session. They engaged fully with the speakers, asked important questions and showed a real determination to make a difference in their communities.

I hope everyone who took part left feeling more confident about using their voice, taking action and pursuing their ambitions.

I am extremely grateful to all the speakers who gave their time and shared their knowledge and experience. I would also like to thank London South East Colleges for their generous hospitality and Domino’s in Thamesmead for kindly providing pizzas for the students between sessions.

Following this year’s programme, I am expanding my LinkedIn network to bring together students, speakers and members of my wider professional network. I hope this shared space will allow participants to exchange ideas, discover opportunities and support campaigns that create positive change in our community.

I am incredibly proud of what the Campaign Summer School has achieved across its five editions, and I am already looking forward to welcoming the next generation of young changemakers.