Graduate from Guildford Gives Next Generation’s Insight at Westminster Hall Event

Published on: 19 Dec, 2023
Updated on: 19 Dec, 2023

Joseph Bickle is a young adult born and raised in Guildford, currently studying media and communications at Cardiff University.

In this, his latest report for The Guildford Dragon NEWS, he speaks to Elle Farrell-Kingsley from Guildford who took part in a event in London last week that focused on the insights of young people.

The School of International Future’s National Strategy for Next Generations (NSxNG) coalition’s event took place at Westminster Hall in London on December 11. It was in collaboration with the The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and UK Youth.

Next generation champions of The National Strategy of Next Generations.

There were discussions on global challenges, and presentations by speakers such as Bernard Jenkin MP, Lord Peter Ricketts, and Sophie Howe, the world’s only future generations commissioner.

The NSxNG’s purpose is to encourage and make an easier connection between UK planning policy processes and our young and diverse communities.

Its Next Generation’s Champions programme aims to develop key young people aged 16 to 30 to build a strong presence in dialogue on health, climate change, technology, democracy, and economic prosperity.

Elle Farrell Kingsley.

Elle spoke at the event on dialogues she has had with people across the South-East.

She is an incredibly headstrong and capable young woman who understands what it means to get what you want as a young person in politics.

She said: “The first step is showing young people that they can have a voice in modern politics.”

Elle also outlined some key recommendations made as part of NSxNG’s National Strategy paper that was presented at Westminster Hall.

These recommendations were formulated through dialogues conducted by Elle with young people and adults.

They focused around establishing a Parliamentary Committee of the Future, to include representatives of all generations who can engage in discussion and help to influence policy making.

Elle said: “All generations struggle, it is important all are heard. And we aim for NSxNG to continue succeeding and to build an influence in UK politics.

“It would be nice for it to become a household name.”

Elle also explained that, at its core, NSxNG wants to bridge the gap between younger and older generations, and break down the perceptions each generatiuon may hold of one another, showing that “our issues are more similar than they are different”.

Elle is a liberal arts graduate, and then took a short course in sustainable finance. She hopes to eventually study for a PhD after some more years of industry experience.

Currently she works in a number of roles. She is an artificial intelligence dialogue writer and curator for a big tech client, and has recently finished leading a reading group for Stanford’s technology, ethics and policy course.

She has been listed as a member of the 2024 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, which Elle says is both “humbling and an honour, especially while being a woman and quite young in the industry”.

If other young people would like to get involved with The National Strategy for Next Generation, they can check out SOIF’s ‘Get involved’ page here.