Empowering student councils: Enhancing engagement and representation

Nurturing student voice is crucial for creating an inclusive and empowering educational environment as we explored in the first event of our Tranquiliti events series, ‘Listening to the voice of students’. Talking points from the panel of young people identified how actively listening to students can help educators gain valuable insights and foster collaboration. In this blog, we will explore how student councils play a vital role in amplifying student voice.

The panel includes:

• Jade Barnett — Youth Development Lead for the Prince’s Trust
• Jonas Andrew-Phillip — Multi Award-winning TEDX speaker
• Gabriella — Student and student advisor for Beyond
• Beverlyn — Big Education Project Councillor
• Ruby — Student and student advisor for Big Change
• Hosted by Alex Atherton, leadership coach

By ensuring a properly functioning student council within schools, we can provide students with a platform to voice their opinions and actively participate in decision-making processes. This step involves promoting diverse representation, encouraging student-led initiatives, and providing ongoing support to student council members.

Ruby expressed their experience with the school council, stating, “We had School Council, which ordinarily would have been great but it felt more like a popularity contest. I entered that for about 3 years, and the popular kids got the vote, and I, having about 3 friends in the class, would get about 3 votes.” Ruby’s perspective highlights the need to transform student councils into platforms that truly represent and engage all students.

According to Jonas Andrew-Phillip, “Student Council should represent different kinds of students. So having kids that are in the top set of people, kids that are in the middle, kids that are in the bottom set, because all those classes of students are having different challenges to face. A lot of kids that are in the bottom set, that I would be close friends with, they have confidence issues and people would mock them for being in those sets.”

To enhance engagement and representation within student councils, it is crucial to address the issues raised by Ruby and Jonas. This step involves creating an inclusive environment where every student’s voice is valued, regardless of their popularity, academic performance or social circle. Rather than a popularity contest, student council elections should focus on the ideas, passions, and leadership potential of the candidates. By incorporating students from various academic levels, schools can gain a more holistic view of the issues and opportunities present within their student body.

As the session carried on, Jonas raised an interesting question, “Do you think that the aspect of the popularity contest in voting for student voice and student council is actually a bad thing? I feel that a lot of young people need to understand how the real world works.” He suggests that experiencing such challenges prepares students for the realities they may face in the future, such as in politics or the working world.

Jade Barnett acknowledged both sides of the coin, stating, “I do agree with Jonas to an extent. It does teach you about how reality can be, but within the school premises, they should teach their students to vote on important topics like this for the most suitable candidate, for your school.” She further explains her perspective, suggesting that as a head teacher, she wouldn’t leave the decision solely to the students when selecting the student council. Jade believes that every young person who puts themselves forward should be involved to some extent, whether it is attending meetings, taking notes, or implementing ideas. This way, every student gets to contribute to the school’s decision-making process, and it discourages the perception that popularity determines capability.

It’s evident that student councils serve as essential platforms for amplifying student voice and fostering collaboration in schools. By promoting diverse representation, encouraging student-led initiatives, and providing ongoing support, we can create an inclusive environment where all students feel empowered to contribute. It is important to address the challenges of popularity contests and teach young people about real-world dynamics while ensuring fairness and equal opportunities for all. By doing so, student councils can truly represent and engage the entire student body, leading to a more inclusive and democratic educational experience.