Mike Hancock News
Students in Portsmouth given the "Chance to be Chancellor"
Mike Hancock, MP (Liberal Democrat – Portsmouth South) is laying down the challenge to students in Portsmouth to come up with ideas to tackle the current economic crisis in a “Chance to be Chancellor” competition.
The education charity, the Citizenship Foundation is running the 2009 “Chance to be Chancellor” competition in which students are asked to draft their own Budget based on a selection of possible policies detailed on the “Paying for It” website.
The MP is urging local students to get involved as a fun way of learning about the nation’s finance. A panel chaired by the Economics Editor of the the Times newspaper will judge the submissions and the overall winner will receive a Nintendo WII Console Sport pack and a £250 voucher to donate to a charity of their choice. The competition is open to those aged 14-19 and they can enter by visiting the “Paying for It” website www.payingforit.org.uk/chancellor by Friday 27th February.
Mike Hancock said: “After recent events, I am tempted to say that students in Portsmouth might well do a better job of writing the Budget than the current Chancellor and Prime Minister! Today’s children are the voters and taxpayers of tomorrow. So, it is important that they learn how their taxes are spent, the choices facing the Government and the issues involved in raising and spending money. This is a fantastic and interactive way to learn about those choices, have their say and who knows may be even influence policy!” Tony Breslin, Chief Executive, The Citizenship Foundation said: “When we conceived the Paying for It programme and the associated Chance to be Chancellor competition with Norwich Union just over two years ago we couldn’t have envisaged the economic climate we now find ourselves in and the speed of the change.
“In a context where matters of finance are impacting as profoundly upon public policy as domestic well being, we believe that the Paying for It project has an even more vital role to play in the education of young people, the development of their personal financial capability and their understanding of how individual financial decisions play out in the public sphere.”
Deborah O’Malley, Community Affairs Manager, Norwich Union said: “Paying for It continues to be a great success with students, teachers and Norwich Union volunteers each learning new skills by sharing different perspectives on the economy and the world we live in. Both the schools programme and the Chance to be Chancellor competition reflect and respond to the increasing appetite for financial education and improved economic literacy in schools. I’m sure the young people involved will find it a valuable experience with real tangible benefits.”
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