Penrith & The Border MP Neil Hudson talked to Bright Stars kids from his constituency about the best way to mount a campaign and how make it stand out, and was quizzed about how to make a difference in a community.
Cumbria’s six MPs are all backing Bright Stars and took part in online Q&A sessions with primary school pupils. The schools are taking part in the Bright Stars programme which this year challenges them to lead a campaign on something that want to make better or improve, to ‘make a difference’. Bright Stars is about nurturing the leaders of the future and getting kids excited about the world of business by setting up and running their own companies.
Neil talked about his previous job as a vet and how that linked into his work as an MP on animal welfare and farming issues, and also advised the children about the importance of working as a team and standing up for what you believe in.
Key takeaways from Neil’s Bright Stars session:
‘Work together’
“Work together in a team – you will achieve a lot more if you pool your resources and work together as a team.”
‘Choose something important to you’
“Think about the campaign you want to do. Is it important to you, is it important to the people around you? If the answer to that is yes, then go for it.”
‘Stand up for what you believe in’
“Stand up for what you believe in and represent people, and if you think it is the right thing to do – then stick to your guns”
The MP will be tracking the progress of the various teams as they select their worthy causes and develop campaign ideas.
Throughout the 8-week programme schools are partnered with local businesses and charities that provide advice and guidance. Setting up and running the campaign dovetails with areas of the curriculum including English, maths and design & technology.
Bright Stars is about empowering kids to show leadership, to have their voices heard, to lead change and make a difference. Understanding the various roles and the breadth of skills needed to succeed is critical, alongside exposure to positive role models. Encouragement from the county’s MPs who are very much our local leaders gives a terrific boost to their confidence.
The programme is delivered by the Centre for Leadership Performance in partnership with businesses and schools, and financed by those businesses taking part. For 2021 a record 49 schools are involved with extra support from BAE Systems and Sellafield to encourage supply chain companies to join the programme, and from Cumbria Community Foundation to enable more charities to partner with schools.
CfLP is celebrating ten years working with young people and businesses across Cumbria to develop and encourage leadership. Executive Director Sarah Glass explains: “We demonstrate through a huge variety of initiatives and programmes that we can all show leadership, and that better leadership leads to better lives. It can start at primary school and is part of a lifelong journey through further education and university to the workplace and the boardroom.”
This is the full list of schools taking part in Bright Stars within Neil’s Penrith & The Border constituency and the companies that are partnering with them to develop the digital campaigns.
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