On Tuesday, I joined a group of young people taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS), at the invitation of area manager Danielle Ellis. The NCS is a summer scheme which brings together 16 and 17 year olds from across Surrey, to complete a series of personal and team challenges and help make a difference to our community.
I caught up with the group at Keltbray Engineering in Esher, one of the NCS’s professional partners. I spoke to the group about how I got involved in politics, and the career I had before doing so. They asked me a range of questions, including on local challenges as an MP and the EU referendum campaign.
As part of the NCS programme, the students also had to come up with a campaign, to help an issue affecting communities in Surrey. Their chosen campaign was to support and raise awareness of the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES). They explained the importance of gender identity, and how they intended to improve public understanding of the issues trans-gender people face. I thought their campaign was creative, credible and persuasive. They presented very well as a team.