Youth Steering Group
Impact stories: Keira
Name: Keira
Age joined the Youth Steering Group: 14
Home Region: London
Keira joined the FEA Youth Steering Group in 2023, aged 14, and graduated in 2026. During her time as a member of the Youth Steering Group, Keira has spoken at the Youth All-Party Parliamentary Group, represented the Youth Steering Group at an inclusion roundtable at Downing Street and met the Prime Minister and Lewis Hamilton, interviewed the stars of Netflix film Steve in collaboration with Mission 44, and facilitated a workshop on Votes at 16 with Peter Swallow MP and fellow Youth Steering Group members at the 2026 Youth Summit.
“I think it's so important when we have these discussions about politics and policy to really listen and take into consideration other people's opinions and thoughts, because if you don't work together, no change will happen.”
Why did you join the Youth Steering Group (YSG)?
I first heard about the FEA because I was on a different youth board, and we went to a Youth Summit. I just thought it was lovely to see so many young people actively engaged and all genuinely caring about the future of policy and education. And I saw, I remember it was Pelumi and Mama [past YSG members] that were on the stage at the time, and it was just cool to see people all my age or a little bit older, doing something that genuinely seems to make a difference. And then from there, I think at the Youth Summit, they mentioned about joining the Youth Steering Group, or they handed out a paper, because I remember literally the next day in school, I signed up, and I was really, really hoping “please, please, please, can I get on?” I wanted to make the same kind of inspiring difference that I saw happening at that Youth Summit.
If you had to pick one thing that’s been a highlight of your time on the Youth Steering Group, what would it be?
[Interviewing the actors and going to the premiere of the film] Steve. I thought Steve was cool. I found it cooler than meeting the Prime Minister. Especially because I'm such a cinema person. I love films. I wanted to be an actress. Well, I still do, so getting to meet Cillian Murphy and interviewing him and seeing the film, I found that really cool.
What do you think has been the Youth Steering Group’s most impactful activity?
I think that at the Youth Summit, the sessions particularly that I was in, not necessarily the session itself, but the discussions that we had on my table and the discussions that I overheard. I don't even remember what the prompts were for Votes at 16, but it brought forth such interesting conversation. We went into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland split, their politics. We had a lot of really in-depth conversation, not just about that, but about tolerance and education. I feel it was impactful to just see so many people in a room connecting over a shared interest in bettering politics for young people, bettering education for young people.
What skills do you feel like you’ve developed during your time on the Youth Steering Group?
Social and interpersonal skills. I feel like you have to socialise with a lot of people, not just in the Youth Steering group, but if we do an event or writing things for online, we actively have to speak to more people. And a very varied group of people or a very varied demographic. You don't meet two of the same people. So I definitely say my social skills and interpersonal skills have developed. And also, I feel like it's easy to feel imposter syndrome when you're around certain spaces, but actively going to parliament and meeting new people, I definitely think that that feeling is more of like a back of the head feeling than a forefront of the head feeling now.
What have you learned on the Youth Steering Group that you will take forward with you into your next steps?
I think being a good listener in a way. I think it's so important when we have these discussions about politics and policy to really listen and take into consideration other people's opinions and thoughts, because if you don't work together, no change will happen. It sounds cringy, but it's kind of true. I definitely think I've become a better listener and communicator.
Our Youth Steering Group provides leadership on youth engagement across the Fair Education Alliance. Members are involved in the work across the Alliance, from collective action and policy influencing, to communications, events and support for our award winners.