STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO GOVERN
STUDENTS throughout Wealden got a taste of democracy when they sat in the hot seat and tackled major problems.
The next generation found out what it was like to make decisions that affect their community. They were taking part in sessions organised by Wealden District Council as part of Local Democracy Week.
Students dealt with a simulated outbreak of a flu pandemic, anti-social behaviour, the affordable housing crisis and a freak tornado.
Year 12 and 13 students from Uckfield, Heathfield, Crowborough and Wadhurst took part. They were given the opportunity to register and vote in a mock election organised by the council's electoral services department and to take part in a question and answer session with local councillors.
Cllr Margaret Kilpatrick said: 'Over the course of the week we have involved nearly six hundred 16 and 17-year-olds.
'They have seen how the voting system works, come face-to-face with some of the telling problems we now face in the community and been able to feed in their own ideas and solutions.
'They had to decide which key council workers should receive vaccinations in a flu pandemic, consider what constitutes anti-social behaviour to a 60-year-old and looked at how to accommodate 2,000 people currently on Wealden's housing register.'
Students also took part in some drama-based activities with arts group Act On It that drew their attention to the different perspectives linked in with the problems of anti-social behaviour and students have been contributing to a survey on the fear of crime for the Safer Wealden Partnership.
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Weather for Lewes
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
