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In early December, a group of forty WEA politics students travelled from Sheffield to the Houses of Parliament to offer their views and experiences of being ‘active citizens’ to MPs and government ministers and to launch a booklet.

The students have all attended courses running as part of the WEA’s Active Citizenship project, which is funded by Northern College's Academy for Community Leadership. Each of the students is personally involved in community initiatives and projects, hoping to 'make a difference' in the areas where they live.

Jol Miskin, WEA Tutor Organiser and Regional Education Manager for Sheffield (on the right of the photo), shepherded the group across London's tube network; no mean feat as many had not previously visited London. The students' first impression of the city was not entirely positive - on arrival at Westminster station they found the charge to use the public toilets to be fifty pence!

The day improved with a guided tour of Parliament after which the group met ministers and MPs at a lively event to launch a new publication, ‘The Active Citizen’. The booklet is written by students on the WEA's ‘Politics and Public Life’ course and describes their experiences of campaigning for change in their local communities. It has been produced with the help of course tutor and former MP for Sheffield Hillsborough, Helen Jackson (centre front of the photo).

Ann Walker, Yorkshire and Humber Regional Director, spoke on behalf of the WEA. She said that the WEA has figured in the lives of many of today's senior public figures, including Gordon Brown. There is an impressive roll call of politicians who have been students, volunteers or members of staff with the WEA. She stated that the next generation of ‘WEA cabinet ministers’ could come from courses such as Politics and Public Life, if government funding priorities allowed courses of its kind to continue.

Her message about ‘Skills for Collective Life’ was endorsed by David Blunkett, who spoke warmly in support  of the WEA and agreed that more long-term funding for citizenship education would help meet the government's own community engagement aims.‘The Active Citizen’ is available from the WEA website at: http://www.wea.org.uk/pdf/Active%20Citizen%20booklet.pdf or in hard copy from Robbie Noble (rnoble@wea.org.uk) of WEA Yorkshire and Humber Region.