Radio DJ Reggie Yates has pledged his support to a campaign aiming to encourage young people to find their voice and bring citizenship education back to life.
As the government toys with cutting citizenship education out of the national curriculum when they review it in February, the Hands Up Who's Bored? campaign seeks to inspire young people fight for their right to receive a political education.
The initiative, backed by O2's Think Big programme, was launched by political activist and young campaigner Danny Bartlett. The project is encouraging young people to contribute to a national picture petition, which will then be delivered to education secretary Michael Gove next year.
Explaining why he decided to back the campaign, Yates told the Huffington Post UK he felt he had a "responsibility to be involved".
"The campaign really spoke to me. I wasn't taught citizenship when I was at school and I know I would have really benefitted from it."
The famous DJ described citizenship as "opening up a conversation".
"A lot of people struggle to find a way of engaging with young people", he added. "Teaching children about politics sounds really bloody boring but this is a way of connecting with them.
"The word politics brings up a mental picture of men in suits. We are led to believe it doesn't affect kids. That it's all fat cats and bankers. Teenagers should be taught about politics and their rights. It empowers young people to move forward."
Yates heard about the campaign through a friend and decided he would use his influence to endorse it. But he is keen to point out he is not doing it "to look good".
"I'm not one of those people. I'm doing it as it's something I believe in. I was brought up on a council estate, I have younger siblings; I know how difficult it is for young people from poorer backgrounds to make themselves heard."
The campaign was created in response to the interest founder Danny Bartlett encountered during his politics and citizenship workshops he ran around the country. Bartlett hopes the initiative will revoke the idea young people are disengaged - an aspersion he feels is unfairly cast on an entire generation.
"We consistently hear our politicians criticise young people for their perceived failure to positively ‘engage’ with public and community life", he says.
"Yet we face the very real possibility of losing from the national curriculum the one subject which teaches political literacy and motivates young people to take action on local issues and play a positive role in their communities.
"I want our nation’s politicians to see that young people in the UK care passionately about their right to receive a proper political education."
Research by O2, titled 'Youth Matters', found almost half (44 per cent) of 16 to 24-year-olds expressed an interest in politics while 43 per cent said they thought young people should play an "active part" in their community.
The survey spurred Bartlett on to launch the campaign in the hope it will enable young people to leave school informed of their rights, duties and responsibilities.
"As a subject, citizenship has the power to equip young people with the skills, knowledge and motivation to play an active and positive role in society", he said.
Bartlett, who has worked with young people for the past four years, was moved to start the campaign by his own experiences.
"When I was 15 I was expelled from school. I was politically frustrated. I saw people had the same struggles as I did and it inspired me to fight for a citizenship education."
The 25-year-old, who originally hails from Chelmsford, Essex, has already canvassed the support of Labour MP David Blunkett and will be addressing the Conservative party at their conference next week in Manchester.
Yates added: "Instead of kids sat in a classroom being talked at they have a chance to speak. It upsets the balance. This whole idea of a power switch is an amazing tool."
The DJ and television presenter started working in the industry when he was only eight. "I had producers and directors asking me what I thought. They wanted my opinions. I'd never been asked for my opinion before and nor had any of my friends. It was a foreign concept to all of us."
He recognises he was one of the lucky ones: "Being empowered is a really special thing that not a lot of young people get."
"But", he adds, "The beauty of the citizenship lessons is that they encourage young people to discuss and share their experiences. It makes them realise they do have a voice and a right to be heard."
According to the project, if citizenship was made only an optional subject by the government, it would leave Britain as the only developed country in the world which fails to teach its young people about the political system.
Bartlett is one of four people backed by O2, who have invested £1.25million in the Think Big scheme. So far, the network giant has supported around 900 youth-led projects.
A short film is also being screened in cinemas across the UK which documents Danny's story and his campaign.
