Littlehampton teenagers represents youth voice in Manchester

Katie Emms, who is the former chairman of the Arun Youth Council, was one of the guest speakers at the conference, in Manchester.

The 18-year-old, from Littlehampton, was asked to speak at the Financial Education: Let’s Make It Count fringe debate, following her years of campaigning for better financial education for secondary school students, nationwide.

She told a panel of MPs and finance experts about the work she and the youth council had undertaken to kick-start their campaign. She was also subjected to a series of questions by audience members.

Katie, a former student at St Philip Howard Catholic High School, in Barnham, had previously been to the Houses of Parliament, with fellow youth council members, in a bid to ask the Government to introduce a dedicated finance topic as part of the national curriculum.

She also played a key role in last year’s Littlehampton Hospital campaign.

Katie said: “Financial education would have helped me in so many ways – not just in dealing with my tuition fees.

“There is a whole world out there that can be very confusing. Understanding how to set up a bank account, get an ISA arranged and organising your first mortgage is very difficult.

“For many, you have to rely on your parents for financial advice and guidance, which shouldn’t be the case. They’re not financial experts.

“So it’s often a case of trial and error, when in the early stages, and considering the recent global finance events and rise in tuition fees, this needs to change.”

Katie’s successor as chairman of the Arun Youth Council, Alex Harman, also from Littlehampton, made a similar contribution during the Conservative Party conference, in Birmingham.

Both were speaking on behalf of the Personal Finance Education Group (PFEG) at each of the events.

Katie added: “I was far more nervous doing this than any of my other speeches. But the fact that I was the only young person sitting on the panel made me very proud.

“The battle is still going on. I believe the Government is still carrying out an ongoing review into the education system, so now is more important than ever.”