51Âþ»­

Brexit, housing, the environment, the jobs market – what are the issues that matter most to you?

Ahead of the General Election, 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) is organising a special 24-hour event for students and staff to have their say on key issues, join debates and hear the facts behind the fake news.



Be the Change – named after the famous quote attributed to Gandhi “You must be the change that you want to see in the world” – will run from 9am on Wednesday 3 May to 9am Thursday 4 May outside the Vijay Patel building.

There will be hosted discussions covering a different theme every hour, supported by 51Âþ»­ academics. Students and staff are all being invited to get involved and speak in one of our five-minute open mic sessions.

Topics to be discussed may include: the economy, the NHS, defence, social care, criminal justice, Brexit, the future of the United Kingdom, the environment and climate change, Britain in the world, industrial strategy, housing, the arts, diversity and inclusion, schools, and higher education.

Research published this week by The Student Room shows many students feel politicians do not pay enough attention to their views. Critics say that is because young people are less likely to vote. In the 2015 General Election, 43% of 18-24 year olds voted, compared to 78% of over 65s.

51Âþ»­’s Be the Change aims to counter voter apathy by empowering students to get involved and ask questions about key issues which affect us all.

The best policy ideas from event will be summarised into a succinct ‘51Âþ»­ Manifesto for the General Election’ to be published on our website. It will also be presented to leading policymakers.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard announced Be the Change following the success of 51Âþ»­’s #LoveInternational vigil in February to show support for victims of intolerance around the world.  

He said: "Be The Change is designed to encourage our students and our staff to come along and talk about the main policy issues that they want to have our politicians focus on during the general election campaign."

Sign-up stations are being set up so people can register to cast their vote if they have not already done so – click to find out if you are eligible.