As the Country's leaders begin to reconvene, we saw a creative and courageous 'Junior Cabinet' come together to put their views across on how we should tackle the big issues of the day, and offer food for thought for the full time decision makers. The event was pulled together by Stagecoach Performing Arts, whose mission is to equip the UK's children of all ages with a broad range of skills for life through the experience of creative arts.
Facilitated by TV Presenter and mother of two Angellica Bell, the 'Junior Cabinet' saw eight children, between the ages of eight and eleven, debate some of the big (non partisan) issues and come up with a next generation manifesto discussing topics as diverse as Government spending, Homelessness, the environment and the Sugar Tax.
The debate revealed some heartfelt and passionate opinions including; making University more affordable; including community service in the school curriculum; clearer 'sugar cube equivalent' labelling on sweets and soft drinks; the creation of 'eco warrior' police; and the introduction of graffiti walls to help artists express themselves.
With resounding agreement around the table that grown ups don't always get it right, the children were asked what they would do if they were Prime Minister, how they would spend the nation's money, as well as whom they would choose to become Prime Minister - with answers varying from the return of David Cameron to an 'Ant and Dec' coalition, and 'my best friend Emily'.
Speaking of the morning's activity, host Angellica Bell commented, "The children today were brilliant in the way that they articulated their opinions and freely shared them with the group, something that can be seen as quite intimidating as you get older. My experience working with children is that you can always trust them to be honest and straight-talking, if and when, they are given the opportunity"
Jo Scalpello, Stagecoach Head of Marketing, added "We are really proud of our students today for having the creative courage to take part in this activity and share their views on the world. Performance is about so much more than just singing, dancing and acting, and it's wonderful to see them in action like this. These students embody our whole mission at Stagecoach where we use Performing Arts to help children become more creative, expressive and confident, helping them prepare for the world's opportunities whilst still having fun."
