Regional AM invites students to enter video competition

NEIL HAMILTON, UKIP’s Group Leader in the Assembly and AM for Mid & West Wales is encouraging all local A-level students in his Region to take part in the Political Studies Association (PSA’s) Schools’ Video Competition, now in its seventh year.

The annual film competition, sponsored by YouGov, is the highlight in the PSA’s calendar of activities to engage young people in the study of politics, and is open to post-16 students who will be studying during the academic year 2017-18.

Mr Hamilton said: “We cannot undervalue the importance of engaging young people in politics. I would encourage all local A-level students to take part in this competition and submit their ideas and videos.

“It is really vital that more young people become involved in politics and increase their awareness of how our country is run, as our future is in their hands.

“The deadline is October 30 so students haven’t got long to produce a video and I would like to wish good luck to all from Mid & West Wales who take part.”
This year’s competition asks students to explore the question: ‘Fake News: Is this the end of facts?’

Groups of students are invited to submit short videos on this subject, examining what fake news is, what effect it may be having on the political landscape and what it means for expert opinion and ‘factual’ knowledge.

Shortlisted groups will be invited to Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster to discuss the ideas raised in their video with a panel of politicians, journalists and academics. Previous jurors have included Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Victoria Derbyshire.

The winners of the Schools’ Short Video Competition will receive their award at the PSA’s Annual Awards Ceremony in Westminster on December 5. The winning students will also be offered a week’s work experience with the YouGov political team during their school holidays.

CEO of the Political Studies Association, Phil Sooben, said: “The competition is a great way for students to develop new skills, explore their creativity and get in touch with contemporary political issues.

“The added training that winning teams get from YouGov – at the heart of political polling and public opinion monitoring – makes this initiative ever more worthwhile.”