65
OMNIA
Issue 06 Autumn/Winter 2019
British politics of recent years and months is a bewildering landscape for those who have studied and worked within it for decades. For young people making sense of the daily twists and turns of the post-referendum scene, it must surely be even more baffling. It was refreshing to speak to one young Caterhamian who, despite the unavoidable political noise, remains undaunted and has clearly stripped politics back to what should surely sit at the centre: positive and tangible change for the good of all of those around us.
Rory Moore POLITICIAN AND YOUTH ADVISOR (OC 2019) What prompted you to become interested in politics? My first political memory is staying up to watch the 2015 election aged 14. From then on, I started reading the news and taking an interest in the world around me, as I realised that the political decisions being taken were shaping the world that I was growing up in. When you look at politics as a young person, you realise how exclusive it is and that in reality, politicians are not particularly interested in what young people have to say. This is what motivated me to try and give young people a voice in our political processes. ow did you become a member of the UK Youth H Parliament? I wanted to get involved in local politics so went along to the Surrey Youth Cabinet as a first step. I enjoyed the meetings and it gave me confidence to stand for election. I was elected as member for Tandridge which then led to an opportunity to stand for the UK Youth Parliament, which was very exciting for me as it is the only group
(apart from MPs themselves) that gets to sit in the House of Commons. After winning the election, I became the Youth MP for Surrey representing the 250,000 young people in Surrey on a national level. This position opened up other opportunities for me, such as becoming the British Youth Council’s Ambassador to Parliament. I have also started working as an advisor on youth affairs to global companies like Accenture. What do these roles involve? I meet with members of the UK government, including members of the Cabinet, to discuss policies and issues affecting young people. Lobbying is a key part of the role, and I have met with senior officials such as the then-Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, to discuss how Parliament as an institution can be more open and accessible to young people so that they can understand what is going on and engage with UK democracy. I have also made media appearances on platforms ranging from BBC radio to Turkish State TV. ďƒ‚
