Getting started: Colleges

2024 is going to be an important year for students to use their voice, with local, regional and national elections all coming in the next few months. 

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Colleges are in a great position to help young people to get on to the electoral roll (young people can register to vote from 16) and gain the knowledge and skills to vote, many for the first time. 

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However, we know that supporting young people to engage in elections can be a daunting task, especially with all the other pressures on you and your students' time.  

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Below are  five things you can do that make a huge difference to support your students to engage in the election, starting from the easy-wins including sharing reminder emails to register to vote, through to supporting students to engage with their local candidates at Hustings events. 

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1. Share information - Use template emails to support students to register to vote, learn about the election and sign post to out-of-college opportunities. 

2. Raise awareness - Use a range of posters, flyers and digital displays to support students to learn about the election as they walk around college. 

3. Complete a voter registration drive - Support all of your students to get on to the electoral register (young people can register from 16 in England and Northern Ireland and from 14 in Scotland and Wales). You could do this through auto enrolment which integrates registration into a student’s enrolment process when they join college. 

4. Integrate the election into your teaching and learning - Use a variety of resources designed for colleges to support your students to learn about politics, democracy and elections. 

5. Run or direct students to a local Hustings event - Support your students to meet and learn about their local candidates. Our Hustings map will be coming soon! 

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If you are looking for training, support and resources please don’t hesitate to book a quick call with The Politics Project team and we will be happy to direct you to the support you need.