We are the UK’s first political internet television channel based at Westminster – run by young people, for young people. Whenever you have a question, comment or view that you want heard we'll make sure it happens, right here, in the heart of power. Catch21 is here for you and is here to stay.
The House of Lords Sub-Committee on Waste Reduction is currently examining how the amount of waste produced in the UK can be reduced and is keen to hear young people's (11-18) views on the issue.
Now before you start, I know climate change and global warming is a big deal & we need to do something about it, but it's not always that easy. Its all very well saying that we should all recycle, use energy saving light bulbs and cycle to work and school, but that isn't always practical. I try and do my bit - I use public transport for the vast majority of my journeys & I walk three flights of stairs to the C21 office rather than use the lift, but some other changes are a lot harder to make.
Can I just say hands up, I really don’t know what all this talk is about climate change….well I do, but I don’t think I fully understand it! It seems as though the media generally cover the issue as though it’s happening and that we (humans) are responsible for it – the general scientific consensus. It comes across like that because of the amount of stories there are on all those things that give off a high amounts of CO2 emissions like airplanes and 4by4s and as a result people get crucified for using them.
I’ve just heard that Prince Harry has been serving on the frontline in Afghanistan since December. It was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence after reports by American papers.
People often talk about the long-term mental damage of cannabis or how its sale funds crime, but there's one effect that is often overlooked.
The most radical thing the government could do to shake up the drugs industry in the UK is to legalise all drugs, but is it as crazy as it sounds?
The government last week published a new set of guidelines to curb the spread of religious extremism on university campuses. Concerns about the influence of extremist and terrorist groups at universities began after the July bombings in London 2005. Since then research has shown that such groups are active at over 30 higher education institutions with some linked to known cases of terrorist activity. However, the higher education minister, Bill Rammell, describes the problem as "serious but not widespread".
A leaked paper has revealed that while the proposal to issue ID cards to anybody who applies for a passport have been postponed to at least 2012, there are plans to tie students and young people into the ID card scheme two years before.
The government has given McDonald's, Flybe and Network Rail approval to run courses which will count towards a flagship new academic and vocational diploma at A-level standard. To obtain this qualification students can combine current in-house staff training with relevant new courses in areas such as human resource management, marketing and engineering.
Among recent government proposals to tackle obesity is the suggestion that overweight people will get paid to lose weight. According to a recent government commissioned report nearly 9 in 10 adults and 2 in 3 children will be overweight or obese by 2050, which will cost an estimated £50 billion a year to deal with the resulting health problems.
The National AIDS Trust have announced that AIDS and HIV awareness are scarily low. Their press release stated that:
'1 out of 5 people in the UK cannot identify each of the main ways in which HIV is transmitted. And only 6 per cent surveyed were able to correctly identify all of the ways HIV was transmitted, without any false responses.'
What exactly do we pay tax for in this country? One example is a friend of mine. they recently went to the doctors and whilst there asked for a check-up. He was told that GP's no longer do this and he should go to BUPA. The NHS is becoming an international joke with MRSA and C. Diff rife in our hospitals, waiting times being ridiculous due to understaffing.
On 22/11/07 The British Youth Council put on an event at Holyrood, the seat of Scottish Government, for young people from all over Scotland. Catch21 was there to put on a panel debate with MSPs, inviting questions from the audience.
Video highlights from the show can be found on our special feature page.
A report published by TeachFirst, a charity which fast-tracks high achieving graduates into teaching, has this week called for Britain’s giant comprehensives to be broken up into smaller schools in order to improve behaviour and results. Based on a survey of 1,000 teachers, it argues that sprawling comprehensives fail to create a ‘learning community’ and students often feel lost in a ‘sea of anonymity’.
The government is coming under increasing pressure after a report by human rights group Liberty has shown that Britain's 28-day limit on holding terror suspects uncharged is already longer than any other country with a comparable legal system.
The government has recently announced plans to raise the school leaving age from 16 to 17 by 2013, and then up to 18 by 2015. Not all students will be required to stay in formal education like A levels and other diplomas, as the new proposal also includes vocational training schemes and apprenticeships. This is to make sure that young people in Britain will enter the workplace with the necessary skills to compete both at home and abroad.
On the 7th - 9th December 2007, Catch 21 productions will be attending and reporting back on a Brunel University conference entitled “Television News, Young People and Politics: Generation Disconnected?”
If you would like to ask either Nick Clegg or Chris Huhne a question then simply fill out the below details by 26th November. The interview will then be available from the end of the month (form after the jump...)
Oona King, the former Labour Party MP who famously lost her seat to the Respect Party’s George Galloway in 2005 has become a new adviser to Gordon Brown on Youth Engagement. Her new ideas on how to engage young people with politics include; lowering the minimum voting age to 16, ensuring that there is a youth fund for every local authority in the UK, introducing young mayors and encouraging wannabe politicians to have a youth manifesto which would be distributed in schools and youth clubs.
If you would like to ask a question to the Secretary of State on any questions related to her role in government simply fill out our form with all the details requested and watch this website to see if your questions are answered
Students at the University of Hull getting off their backsides and getting people into politics
Jon Snow
Channel 4 news
Catch21 acknowledge the essential support of The University of Hull and The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
The BYC were at the Scottish Parliament last November. Catch21 were there to film it all.
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