We feel it is essential that the voice of young people in our society is heard, and that we support the next generation to understand the role of a free press in democracy by reporting accurately on the issues that our local and global communities are facing. We look forward to reporting the news stories of the changes that pupils make, on issues that matter to them, as they achieve their ACTive Citizenship Awards.”

 Nicky Cox MBE, Founder and Editor in Chief First News

“At ACT we are very excited about collaborating with First News to develop the First News ACTive Citizenship Awards. Our ambition is that through high quality Citizenship education in the curriculum, every child will develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to make sense of the world around them, to have a say in decisions that affect them and to play a full part in our democracy as active and responsible citizens, now and in the future.

This Award is designed to support teachers and children in taking positive action on a range of issues which they choose and they really care about. The best Citizenship education empowers children and enables them to really understand and experience what it means to be an active citizen who is prepared to speak out, challenge inequality and make a positive difference in their communities and the wider world !”

Liz Moorse, Chief Executive, Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT)