Lesson video

Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's citizenship lesson.

My name's Miss Wyatt, and I'm so pleased that you could join me here today.

Welcome to today's lesson on How can we influence those in power using democratic processes, from the unit, How can young people play an active role in democracy? By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain what power and influence are and how we can influence leaders through democracy.

We will be using the following keywords throughout our lesson today, and our keywords are power, influence, and campaign.

Power is having control or authority over something or someone; influence is the power to affect or change someone's thoughts, actions, or decisions; and campaign are actions or events organised by an individual or a group of people to achieve an aim.

Some of these keywords may be new to you today, but please don't worry, as I am here to guide you.

Our lesson on How can we influence those in power using democratic processes is broken up into two parts, with the first part looking at what is power and influence, and then exploring, how can we influence leaders in a democracy? So when you're ready, let's begin today's lesson.

Power is the ability to make decisions or control outcomes, particularly in politics, education, or communities.

Parliament have far-reaching, formal power, as they can make laws at national level which all citizens must follow.

School councils also have power within their school communities by influencing school rules and policy.

So hoping you're starting to see what power is and how it comes into play with making decisions.

For example, the UK Government has the power to increase the minimum wage, which it did in April 2025 when it rose to 12 pounds, 21 pence an hour for those over 21.

Young people may not have this formal power, but they can still influence those who do.

This shows that even though you might not have legal authority, your actions and ideas can lead to real change when organised effectively.

Influence refers to the ability to shape the thoughts or actions of others without necessarily having formal power.

For example, in 2018, Bury Council introduced a new policy offering free school meals that were entirely vegan.

This decision was influenced by parents and young people who had growing concerns about health, environmental sustainability, and inclusivity.

By implementing this policy, the council aimed to ensure that all pupils, regardless of dietary preferences or restrictions, had access to nutritious meals.

This campaign changed policy, showing that influence can lead to meaningful outcomes.

So let's check our understanding so far then.

Which of these are examples of influence rather than power? So you've got options A to D.

Read through them and decide which one are examples of influence rather than power.

Okay, let's go through our answers.

So, we should have said A and C.

So a pupil persuading a headteacher to add recycling bins and young people writing to their local MP about youth services.

Parliament passing a new law and the Prime Minister giving a speech are more to do with power rather than influence.

Well done if you got that right.

Members of Parliament, or MPs, have the power to change laws, but we all have the opportunity to influence the Government by voting and campaigning.

In local democracy, the decision-makers that have power to implement lasting change includes: local councillors, local government officers, local police, mayors and metro mayors, and community and youth leaders.

Although young people cannot vote in general elections until they're 18, they can still partake in the democratic process.

For example, in May 2025, the National Youth Agency, the organisation that runs UK Youth Parliament, has launched a new Equity, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Standards to help ensure all young people feel recognised, heard, and valued.

This framework supports youth workers, volunteers, and organisations committed to delivering high-quality, inclusive youth work.

This kind of involvement gives young people both power in shaping the debate and influence by changing how adults think and act.

Participation in groups like UK Youth Parliament shows how young people are already helping to build the world they want to see.

Although Youth Parliament do not make any laws, their ideas are taken seriously by the Government.

This shows how collective influence can change minds and lead to those in power changing policy, standards, or laws.

So I wonder how many of you knew about the UK Youth Parliament and the influence that they can have already.

So the statements below are all incorrect.

We need to identify the one mistake in each statement and correct it.

So we have UK Youth Parliament helps adults influence Parliament, we have young people cannot make a difference if they cannot vote, and we have collective influence can change minds and lead to those in power keeping policies and laws.

There is a mistake in each of these, so let's pause the video and have a go at correcting them.

Okay, so our sentences now should look like: UK Youth Parliament helps young people influence Parliament, not adults.

Young people can make a difference if they cannot vote.

And collective influence can change minds and lead to those in power changing policies and laws.

So it was just slight mistakes and they just needed to be corrected to look like this.

Well done, everyone.

Campaigns are organised efforts to bring about change and are a major way young people can gain influence.

For example, the Let Girls Play campaign launched by the Football Association, the FA, in 2021 was supported by the Government.

This campaign along with the England women's football team's historic win in the Euros 2022 led to the Government's announcement of an all-sports pledge in March 2023.

This included the promise that all pupils in England will be given equal access to sport in schools by 2024.

Although many involved were not in positions of power, their campaign influenced policy decisions at the highest level, affecting the education of millions of school children in the UK.

Campaigning gives young people the chance to show leadership and commitment.

This increases young people's ability to influence others and demonstrate their values to people with the power to do something about their concerns.

So let's fill in the missing words to these sentences, just some missing words.

Pause the video and have a go at this task.

Okay, so we should have said, power means having control or authority over something.

A campaign is when people take action to make change.

And even if you do not have power, you can still have influence.

So power, campaign, and influence should have been our missing words.

Well done if we said those.

For this task, I would like us to write two paragraphs from the different perspectives of James, an MP, who has power, and Sandra, a voter, who has influence.

So Sandra, the voter, says, "As my MP, James, you have far more power than me to make decisions." James, the MP, says, "I might have power, but I am influenced by people like you." So let's write two paragraphs showing the different perspectives of James and Sandra.

Okay, so your paragraphs might look like this.

So from James' perspective, you said, "I'm a Member of Parliament, elected to represent my area in the House of Commons.

I have the power to vote on new laws, speak in debates, and meet with the Government ministers to push for change.

My decisions can affect thousands of people.

With this power, I have a responsibility to listen to my constituents and lead my local area." Sandra says, "I am a voter in the MP's constituency.

I don't have the power to make laws, but I can still use my influence by writing letters, sharing my views, and voting in elections.

If I work with others who feel the same, we can persuade the MP to take action.

Our voices might not have power, but they do have impact by influencing others." We have now looked at what is power and what is influence, and now we're gonna explore, how can we influence leaders in a democracy? Influence works best when used through structured democratic processes like school councils or local youth councils.

Many schools and youth councils offer the chance to have your say on a variety of issues that affect young people.

You can also influence leaders by starting or joining a campaign, for example, to create cleaner green spaces or more youth services that can impact local, national, or global communities.

For example, a successful campaign was launched in 2025 by young activists from Brighton and Hove, supported by Citizens UK.

They led a campaign advocating for increased mental health support in secondary schools.

Their efforts resorted in Brighton and Hove City Council allocating 200,000 pounds to expand counselling services across local schools.

This initiative was highlighted in a parliamentary debate in March 2025, where MPs acknowledge the campaign's impact and discussed the importance of statutory school-based counselling nationwide.

This case shows how youth influence can lead to real policy changes and governmental action.

Influence can also come from working with national organisations.

For example, Bite Back 2030 is a movement led by young people which focuses on healthy food in schools and pushes for a higher standard from food marketing and from everyday food.

In 2025, Bite Back 2030 worked with school pupils across the UK to call for less junk food in canteens.

The activists met with the ministers, wrote reports, demonstrated outside Parliament, and appeared in the media to pressure the Government to act.

These are examples of young people using democratic participation like lobbying and campaigning to influence those in power.

Young people can also influence leaders by working together through youth organisations that build direct links with decision-makers.

For example, Teach the Future.

Established in 2019, Teach the Future is an initiative led by young people which aims to implement comprehensive climate education across the curriculum.

In November 2021, Teach the Future's Climate Education Bill, which was first written by pupils, was introduced in the UK Parliament by MP Nadia Whittome.

in October 2023, it was included in the Labour Party's draught policy programme for the 2024 general election.

This demonstrates how young people can influence national policy through democratic processes.

Sometimes, influencing leaders means raising awareness in your own community.

For example, in 2022, young people from Believe Achieve CIC in Bolton organised the Inspire 2022 event.

This youth-led initiative brought together the community through various activities, including performances and the opening of a new youth centre.

The event showcased the power of youth leadership in encouraging community engagement and was supported by UK Youth as part of their Inspire 2022 programme.

This shows how influencing democracy does not always mean national action.

It can start locally and have a real impact.

So, true or false? Leaders can be influenced both at local and national level to make lasting change in a democracy.

Is that true or is it false? Hopefully we've all said it is true.

Leaders can be influenced at local and a national level to try and make that lasting change in a democracy.

Everyone can help influence leaders in a democracy, okay? Everyone can.

There are various methods of creating lasting change by influencing leaders and decision-makers in a democracy, including: creating or signing a petition, engaging with the local government, joining local, national, or global campaigns, meeting with MPs, lobbying decision-makers, completing surveys, taking part in consultations, and organising marches and demonstrations.

So look at that list of the different methods that can create lasting change by influencing leaders.

Some of the Oak National Academy pupils have influenced leaders.

Aisha says, "We influenced the school leadership team.

Can you both remember?" Sofia says, "Oh yes, Aisha.

We didn't have enough time to get to lessons, so we campaigned." Alex said, "I remember we managed to get five minutes added to the timetable between lessons." Aisha says, "We got pupils to sign a petition and then wrote a letter to the headteacher." Sofia says, "We also got evidence by timing the walk between classrooms and the impact of being late to lessons." Alex said, "We campaigned successfully and got lasting change.

Young people can influence those in power." So Aisha, Sofia, and Alex made a lasting change within their school.

So let's fill in the gaps here.

People can campaign to influence people in blank in many ways, including signing blank and joining national blank groups.

Pause the video and think about what these gaps are.

Okay, let's go through our answers together.

So we should have said, people can campaign to influence people in power in many ways, including signing petitions and joining national campaign groups.

So power, petitions, and campaign is the words that we were looking for.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, for our final task, I would like you to choose one of these two situations that I'll read through in a second and write a paragraph explaining how you would influence a leader to make change using democratic participation rather than power.

So the first situation says, I think the local park is unsafe after school.

Younger children want more lighting and a park warden.

So that's the first situation.

Now the second situation says, I think that there should be a rule where no children pay for buses so they can get to school for free.

So pick one of the situations and write a paragraph to explain how you would influence a leader to make change on this situation.

Pause the video and have a go at this task.

Okay, everyone.

So if you picked the first situation about the park, your paragraph might look a little bit like this.

So we said, I don't have the power to make decisions about the park, but I can still use my influence to make a difference.

I would start a small campaign by talking to local families and collecting signatures to support better lighting and the introduction of a park warden.

Then I would write to a local councillor to explain our concerns and what changes we would like to see.

I could also ask to speak at a youth council meeting or attend a local public meeting to share ideas.

This shows how people without formal power can still use their influence to encourage leaders to take action.

So I wonder if you picked the first situation and you included some of the ways that we would speak to those in power.

Now, if you picked the second situation and called for free bus travel, your paragraph might include some of the following.

So even though I do not have the power to change national rules, I can use my influence to try and get leaders to listen.

I would work with my school to start a campaign calling for free bus travel for all children.

We could write letters to our local MP, collect signatures for a petition, and raise awareness through the school newsletter.

This way, we are using democratic participation to make our voices heard.

With enough support, our influence might persuade people in power to take the idea seriously and bring it up in Parliament.

So well done on your efforts for this task.

I hope you enjoyed.

We have now come to the end of our lesson on How can we influence those in power using democratic processes, and I'm going to summarise it for us.

So power is the authority to make and enforce decisions, while influence is the ability to shape people's views or actions without having official control.

Young people can still play an active role in democracy by using their influence in different ways, such as joining youth councils, writing to decision-makers, or supporting petitions.

Change can happen when people work together and use their voices effectively.

Campaigning can influence leaders to make lasting change.

Campaigning methods include gathering signatures, contacting MPs or councillors, speaking at meetings, and organising peaceful demonstrations and marches.

So I hope you've taken a lot from today's lesson and I just want to thank you for all of your efforts, and I hope to see you soon in another citizenship lesson.