Jessica Toale MP's Bournemouth Summer School inspires young people

Young people in Bournemouth have been inspired to engage with politics after attending the first-ever Bournemouth politics summer school organised by Bournemouth West MP Jessica Toale.

The free two-day programme, which took place on 28-29 August 2025 at Bournemouth University, welcomed over 50 students aged 16-19 from across the area following an open call earlier this summer.

Developed in collaboration with university lecturers, the summer school was designed to help young people understand how democracy works - and explore different career paths in and around politics.

Day one featured an expert panel including Jessica Toale (Labour MP for Bournemouth West), Millie Earl (Liberal Democrat Leader of BCP Council), George Farquhar (Deputy Mayor, BCP Council), Andy Martin (Independent BCP Councillor and former Echo Editor) and Emily Hudson (Journalist, BBC Politics South).

Students were then divided into groups for hands-on learning experiences, including mock interviews and a crisis simulation exercise where participants represented different organisations including government departments, NGOs, and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The interactive format proved really engaging, with students buzzing about their experiences during lunch, which featured local, organic food provided by local businesses thanks to sponsor and local environmental campaigner, Julia Davies.

The afternoon featured a Q&A session with Jessica, where students learned about their local MP's work and discovered practical ways to get involved in their community, followed by a media literacy workshop exploring how to critically evaluate news sources and understand how political stories are reported.

Day two showcased alternative career paths in politics-adjacent fields, with a panel featuring Julia (Founder of We Have The Power), Rish Patel (Program Officer UK Relations at The Gates Foundation), Tracey Jose (Safety campaigner, Founder of Changes Are Made), and Hannah Barlow (Founder, BB Partners Advisory for Changemakers).

Students discovered the many different ways to make a positive difference to their local community beyond traditional political roles.

The programme concluded with a practical campaign workshop, teaching students how to develop and launch campaigns that can help society and address specific issues.

Jessica said: "This generation has so much to offer. The young people who attended showed so much enthusiasm for understanding how to become changemakers in their communities. They brought lots of ideas about what they'd like to see change from more funding for youth services to changes to our voting system. Many also wanted more opportunities to learn about politics and government in school. With 16-year-olds getting the vote at the next general election, programmes like this help young people see all the ways they can have a say in shaping their future.

"Attendees left feeling genuinely inspired, with several already planning to get more involved in local politics and campaigning. I'm looking forward to running the programme again next year!"