Sixth form students from The Skinners’ Kent Academy recently joined thousands of other young people in the UK by taking part in the third annual National Voter Registration Drive (NVRD), hosted by Bite the Ballot. Year 12 and 13 Academy Students took part in an interactive workshop which aimed to empower, inform, and inspire them to register to vote and when the time comes, to use their voice and their vote. During the first week of February 2016, NVRD’s Bite the Ballot campaign worked with schools, academies and youth groups across the UK coordinating local activities in order to engage, inform and inspire their communities to register to vote. Bite the Ballot aims to dispel the myth that young people are apathetic and uninterested in participating in democracy. At The Skinners’ Kent Academy, sixth form students discussed issues relating to voting and even formed a virtual government to discuss how to allocate a virtual budget. Following the workshop, many Academy students took the opportunity to register online to vote. Matthew Tompkins, Principal, The Skinners’ Kent Academy said: “We were very pleased to take part in the National Voter Registration Drive. The team at Bite the Ballot hosted a thought-provoking workshop for our sixth form students including fun games which encouraged much discussion about voting and the registration process. We hope to participate again in next year’s registration event.” |