The “Rebuilding Britain: A Youth Vision for a Common Future" event took place on Wednesday 6th March, 6-8pm at Space 39, Canary Wharf. The aim of the event was to encourage discussion and debate regarding how to reunite the United Kingdom given widespread divisions as a result of the UK’s intended withdrawal from the EU.
In the form the of a democracy café, the experience was intentionally planned to be an informal conversation between young people, activists, public figures and politicians about reunifying the country. The turnout of the event was higher than expected, and comprised of people from a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, religions and more. Most importantly, the people who attended all had vastly differing viewpoints, yet had the same vision to reunite the UK in harmony for all.
The event was led by My Life My Say, whose mission is: “To empower young people to participate in democracy, by creating spaces for dialogue across communities and generations, and by providing young and socially excluded citizens with the tools to lead change within society.” They are a youth-led, non-partisan charity hoping to inspire young people to actively engage in politics.
Accordingly, the event had a central theme which fed into each of the speeches and discussions: everyone needs to participate in democracy and work together in order to achieve unity, especially after such a divisive occurrence like Brexit. Speakers on the evening included Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake and Green leader Caroline Lucas. Again, despite different opinions, they shared a common goal to ensure a better future for especially young people after Brexit.
The event ended with lengthy open discussion about hot topics, including crime, mental health, education, Brexit and social media.
The event was a huge success, leaving everyone inspired to be the change they wanted to see by engaging actively in politics.
To keep updated about future events like this, visit: https://www.mylifemysay.org.uk/events
