It was great to join pupils from Year 6 at Windrush Primary School in Thamesmead this month. It was really nice to be grilled by them on what I’ve been doing as an MP and hear about why they love living in our local community.
A big thanks to the school for inviting me and I look forward to coming back again soon.
I’ve been delighted last month to hold my third annual Campaign Summer School.
At my jam-packed 3-day event, we had a fantastic group of enthusiastic and inspiring young people who were incredibly engaged in learning about how to make a successful campaign and gain the skills needed to make a real difference in our community.
On the first day, I was excited to share my journey to Parliament and what I do as the MP for Erith and Thamesmead. We were also privileged to be joined by Laura Coryton and Rima Amin, who shared their 5 steps for turning a petition into a successful campaign. Laura founded a campaign against the tampon tax in 2014 and Rima worked with Laura on the campaign when she worked at Change.org. We were also joined by Paul Richards who shared his expertise on writing press releases and Christine Quigley and Nick Smith who introduced the students to the world of finance and public affairs.
“Our campaign lobbied the government into establishing the tampon tax fund, through which almost £100m has been donated to female-focused charities”
Laura Coryton on her campaign against tampon tax
On day two, we were joined by Google, who shared how to navigate and make full use of the new digital age to build on campaign ideas, business ideas, and how to kickstart your career. It was also great to be joined by Kwajo Tweneboa who shared his first-hand experience of going from a concerned citizen to a veteran campaigner on housing issues across the country. We were also pleased to welcome Katie Perrior from iNHouse Communications and media experts from 853 and the Guardian, who shared their important knowledge on how to make a campaign successful.
We started the final day with a presentation about how Parliament works with a special briefing from an expert team at the UK Parliament. It was great to see the students ask so many questions about how our government works and how each of them can personally make a difference. I also want to thank Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of Greenwich Council, Martin Angus, from the Local Government Association (LGA), and Councillor Zainab Asumramu for sharing their important personal insights into the role of Local Government and how to get politically active in your local community.
Every year this is such a special week for me. I get to spend lots of time sharing what I know about campaigning and Politics and learning from local young activists across our community who care passionately about a number of critically important issues.
From national issues like Climate Change and the cost-of-living crisis, to local issues like vaping in schools and tackling fly-tipping, it was fantastic to discuss their ideas about what they can do to campaign for change.
I want to send a big thank you to all the speakers who joined during the week, to London South East College team in Erith, who hosted us, and to my team who did a wonderful job making the Summer School work so well. Finally, I also want to send a big thank you to all the students who were so engaged and optimistic and I’m sure will go on to do great things in their careers.
You can follow what happened on my social media or by looking up the hashtag #AbenaSummerSchool2023.
On Wednesday 14th June, I had the pleasure of meeting Year 6 students from St. Fidelis Primary School. They visited the Houses of Parliament for a tour and to learn more about how our democracy functions.
I enjoyed being challenged by their tough questions on some of the important issues we face today. A special thanks also to the teachers at St. Fidelis for organising this visit.
You can see my social media post from the event below and here.
It was a privilege this month to be invited by the Stephen Lawrence Foundation to attend the Stephen Lawrence 30th Anniversary Memorial Service. This was a significant and inspirational occasion as we cherished Stephen’s memory and came together to spread a message of hope and change.
Those of us who were growing up in South East London at the time of Stephen’s murder know we have come a long way. However, we all know that we have so much further still to go. It is important that we all come together to honour Stephen’s life and commit to making sure the next 30 years are meaningfully different from the last.
I was also pleased to join Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE and Keir Starmer at their in-conversation event to discuss Stephen’s legacy and the great work of the Stephen Lawrence Foundation. It was especially great to hear about what they have been doing to help young people and what they plan to do in the future to inspire a more equitable, inclusive society.
On 21st April, I was delighted to visit Discovery Primary School and meet the newly formed Junior Leadership Team. The students took me on a tour before asking me lots of insightful questions about my life as an MP.
I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and ambition of the students in the Junior Leadership Team and I am sure they all have a bright future ahead.
I was delighted to visit Discovery Primary School and meet the newly formed Junior Leadership Team. The students took me on a tour before asking me lots of insightful questions about my life as an MP.
I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and ambition of the students in the Junior Leadership Team and I am sure they all have a bright future ahead.
On 26th November our constituency was rocked by the deaths of two 16-year-old boys, Charlie Bartolo and Kearne Solanke. Charlie and Kearne were tragically killed by knife crime. This awful crime is a blight on the future of our young people and can only be resolved if all MPs work together across the House to address and tackle serious youth violence. At Prime Minister’s Questions, I asked the Prime Minister what he is doing to address the knife crime epidemic that has shocked our community.
You can watch my speech using the following link here, and you can read my question to the Prime Minister here.
Since then, I have also written to the Home Secretary to confirm what she is doing to end this epidemic now. You can read it here: Abena Oppong-Asare Letter to Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP
Abena Oppong-Asare Tweet on November 30th 2022:
At this jam-packed 3-day summer school, young people aged between 16 and 18 had the opportunity to gain the skills needed to make a real difference in our community.
This was a hands-on, first-hand insight into the exciting world of political and social campaigning. The school brought together a wide variety of speakers from businesses like Graylings UK, showing the students tools they can use to influence the Government and make change, and from Meta, to discuss how important Facebook and social media is to campaigning in the 21st Century.
We were also joined by important influencers who have been at the frontline of campaigns that have caught the public’s attention. We heard from Laura Coryton, who started the very successful #EndTamponTax petition, and from former Love Island contestant Shaughna Phillips, who is now advocating for a better public discussion on body image and mental health.
I know from my own experience that whether you’re dealing with environmental issues, crime, or education, effective campaigning is the key to influencing and challenging those in power. So, I am determined to do all I can to empower our young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
Over the course of 3 days, attendees designed their very own local campaigns on important issues such as women’s rights and increasing accessibility access in our community. What’s more, I am personally helping action the best ideas into real campaigns to benefit our residents.
For the students, this was a unique opportunity to see their ideas turned into action and to learn how they can make their voice heard in our democracy.
I’m delighted to announce that applications are open for my new online Campaigning Summer School which will be taking place this August.
At this jam-packed 3-day summer school, young people aged between 16 and 21 will have the opportunity to gain the skills needed to make a real difference in our community.
This won’t be a series of dry lectures: it’ll be a hands-on, first-hand insight into the exciting world of political and social campaigning – bringing together the expertise of veteran political activists and partner organisations.
I know from my own experience that whether you’re dealing with environmental issues, crime, or education, effective campaigning is the key to influencing and challenging those in power. So, I am determined to do all I can to empower our young people to be the change they want to see in the world.
Over the course of 3 days, attendees will design their very own local campaigns. What’s more – I will personally help action the best ideas into real campaigns to benefit our residents.
For attendees, this will be a unique opportunity to see their ideas turned into action and to learn how they can make their voice heard in our democracy.
The school itself will be held online from Monday 16th August to Wednesday 18th August.
If you’re interested, then please don’t hesitate to apply, and do share this with anyone who you think might benefit from this programme.
To apply just fill in the sign-up form here before Saturday 7th August. Applications are welcomed from anyone aged between 16 and 21, though priority will be given to those who live or go to school in the constituency of Erith and Thamesmead.
