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MPs visit our Big Ideas Finalists!

December 3, 2024

Our Big Ideas Competition National Final 2024 was special for lots of reasons; firstly it was our 10th National Final, but also, it was set against the backdrop of a pivotal General Election. Not only did this add an exciting buzz to the event, but it meant that we tried out a new venue as we were not able to be hosted at the Houses of Parliament as usual. We chose the Science Museum, and were thrilled to be in such a prestigious and relevant space to celebrate our finalists.

Unfortunately, this did mean that we were not able to welcome any MPs to the National Final, which has been such an important part of the event in previous years. Therefore, our team have been busy setting up meetings with teams and their local MPs to take place through the autumn term. See some highlights from these meetings below…

In November, Team Podzzz from Bradford Girls’ Grammar School met with Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West to tell her about their idea of setting up a community of ‘pods’ that homeless people can sleep in and gain education and skills to further their life opportunities.

Shah gave advice and information to the students about how she thinks their idea could move forwards, sharing her own experience of being homeless in the past as well as her knowledge as an MP in the local area. She recognised the barriers that women and ethnic minorities can face and encouraged the girls to take their idea forward. Shah offered support for the team if they wanted to continue working on their idea.  

The MP told the students, “Think outside the box and own your ideas. You’ve got an amazing idea. You can’t just leave it in this room. You’ve demonstrated that you care, now you need to think what’s next. I’m happy to support you. If you think you can turn this into an idea that will actually influence people and make a difference to people’s lives then you’ve got to stick at it. If I’d have had something like this when I was homeless it would have made a difference to my life. 

In the same week, Team Nature Heroes from The Portsmouth Academy met with Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, to share their idea of a robotic cat equipped with thermal cameras to detect thermal energy.

During the meeting, the students were given the opportunity to ask questions about the new government’s plans regarding sustainability and the curriculum. 

The students learned about the governments ambitions to make school buildings more sustainable both through new builds and retrofits.  Morgan also mentioned the current curriculum review that is being undertaken. 

The students discussed the importance of sustainability being learned about in more lessons than geography and science, suggesting that maths equations could have a sustainability slant.  They talked about sustainability affecting everyone and the need to work together as a team. They spoke about how the Big Ideas Programme had supported them to develop teamwork and confidence in speaking out about their opinions. 

One of the members of the team, Sabriha, Year 9, said “Coming first in the regional competition was incredible, as was attending the national finals at the National Science Museum, but what was most valuable was the skills and experience we gained across the whole programme that we will take forward into our future.”  

Stephen Morgan said, “When I meet young people, I am always blown away by their ambition and ideas to make the world a better place.

“Competitions like these are a brilliant platform for young people to have their voices heard and share how they think the world needs to change.

“I’m delighted to see The Portsmouth Academy’s Nature Heroes reach the national final. Congratulations to all involved.”

In addition to the examples above, we’ve also facilitated the following meetings:

“I congratulate the Vita Verde team on their idea of converting food waste into biochar, to create green clean roofs. They have done a fantastic job in identifying a sustainable solution.  I have no doubt these young innovators will go on to help us deal with the world’s climate crisis.  I wish them all the best for the future.” Stephen Timms

  • Kate Deardon, MP for Halifax (who also happens to be a Big Ideas Programme alumni!) meeting students from The Halifax Academy.

We’re thrilled to be able to encourage any of the wonderful young people involved in our programmes to engage with local politics and share their thoughts and ideas with people of influence!

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