Portsmouth Business School
Business student receives national award at Houses of Parliament
Tue, Mar 30, 2010
Third year student Paul Magee received a Seen and Heard award for his work on the Isle of Wight Youth Council. The awards are sponsored by BT and the UK Youth Parliament and have been running for three years. They recognise and reward the achievements of young people who have made a real difference to their own lives and the lives of others.
When Paul realised that youngsters on the Isle of Wight were spending the majority of their pocket money on ferry fares he decided to take action. He contacted the two main ferry companies, Wight Link and Red Funnel, to fight for concessions for teenagers.
He said: “My council colleagues and I created a questionnaire which we dished out to schools and then compiled our results to show the ferry companies. Red Funnel was the first to act – it agreed to reduce the rates for teenagers and the new fares came into effect just over a year ago. It wasn’t long before Wight Link followed suit.
“On the island I often feel we are behind the times and young people’s opinions aren’t considered so this was a massive success. It’s really changed the lives of the island’s young people. They can now afford to visit the mainland for shopping, concerts and football games - which has given them a huge boost.”
The 22 year-old is studying Business Studies and is currently on a one-year placement at TÜV Product Service Ltd, a technical service company, based in Fareham. He said his voluntary work for the youth council has helped him to feel far more confident in the workplace.
“I started volunteering for the youth council when I was about 18. I was at the local youth centre when a youth empowerment worker came to talk to us. I was quite shy at the time but was inspired to help the island become a better place for young people.
“I’ve always been business-minded and for me business and politics go hand-in-hand. Studying at the Business School has given me even more drive. I still keep up-to-date with the youth council as I’m really passionate about it, although now I’m busy with university work and my placement I have had to take more of a back-seat.”
This isn’t the first time Paul’s work for the youth council has been recognised. He won the same award two years ago for his campaign to decrease bus fares for young people on the island. Paul and his fellow youth council colleagues managed to reduce the bus fare from £4.70 to 50 pence.
“We have made so many changes in the last few years, I’m really proud to be part of a youth council that has gone from being one of the worst in the country to one of the best – if not the best!” he said.
Paul’s lecturer and personal tutor, Judi Karas, said: “This really is a terrific achievement for Paul. I’m delighted that his work on the youth council has been nationally recognised and it’s a pleasure to see a student making such a difference to his local community. It is clear that this experience has been of enormous benefit to his degree studies. He’s doing a fantastic job on his placement, and I’m really looking forward to working with him on his final year project for TǕV.”