In October, Richmond upon Thames College's A Level Government and Politics students attended the 'Battle of Ideas Festival' at Church House, Westminster.
The Battle of Ideas Festival is a two-day event in which academics, commentators, artists and the audience come together to debate in a public forum style an assortment of topics, such as cancel culture, modern parenting, policing, biometrics, immigration and many more.
The festival takes place in London and Buxton for three days in the UK and other European cities including Warsaw, Berlin, Stockholm and Athens.
Student, Kiera Napier attended one of the festival days at Church House, learning interesting political knowledge. as well as challenging some of her existing beliefs about the police, culture, health, and American political systems.
Kiera attended four debates, 'Who do the police serve?' 'Is cancel culture killing the arts?' 'Can America survive the cultural wars' and 'Too Fat - Too thin: Are we obsessed with calories?'
Kiera discusses her time at the festival, saying, “At the Battle of Ideas, they believed that the more discussions you have, the more it will impact on how the future is formed. I really cherished the different perspectives I encountered and where I can now incorporate them into my own political opinions.
“This was a fantastic experience in which I discovered many diverse types of opinions. Anyone interested in politics or debate should participate in this festival. I am grateful to have attended an environment where free expression is encouraged.”
