Dan Lawes, at the age of 24, was appointed co-CEO of MyLifeMySay with responsibility for Growth and Partnerships. In the first of a new series for #YouthVoiceNews – #Profile&Platform, Dan shares his vision of hope with those attending the Next Gen Conference 25, at the Ministry of Sound, 18th Oct 2025. ‘Profile’ by James Cathcart and ‘Platform’ is Dan’s opening speech in full, reproduced with permission.
Profile
I first met Dan when he was 16 when he invited me to attend a youth-led democratic engagement conference in Manchester in 2017, and Young Voices Heard has been offering support ever since.
Whilst still at school he launched Youth Politics UK, a not for profit youth-led company promoting political education and voter registration, reaching 14,000 young people through 40 schools and colleges in Manchester. All this as a volunteer. Consequently he won a ‘Young Advocate’ of the Year award from the Cabinet Office Democracy Awards 2018 presented by Minister Chloe Smith MP. In 2023 he graduated from LSE in History and International relations, adding an MSc Global Affairs as a 1yr Schwarzman scholar in Beijing, China.
Dan’s outstanding achievement in his first role at MLMS, was to lead/coordinate and project manage the Give An X Campaign, the UK’s largest youth voter registration push for the 2024 General Election. He oversaw the coordination of 300 organisations across a variety of sectors which led to 488,846 click throughs from 18-24 year olds to the Gov.uk register to vote website and a reach of 4,061,456. When the existing CEO (Mete Coban MBE) left to become deputy Mayor London, Dans was appointed as co-CEO.
Since then he has been a key advisor to the Governments co-produced consultation on its nw Youth Strategy, as well as co-ordinating the MLMS’s ‘Votes at 16’ youth-led drive to support the Governments plans to lower the voting age, and ensure democracy education is embedded in schools. In addition Dan continues to volunteer, notably in two charity governance roles – Deputy Chair of Young Manchester, and trustee of the Diana Awards and he continues to be an #iwillmovement ambassador. What makes Dan stand-out is his exceptional talents for communication, inclusivity and leadership. Dan is a natural leader, self-effacing but passionate advocate for greater youth participation in public life.
Ed / James Cathcart 10/15
Platform: Dan’s opening speech, NextGen Conference 2025.
“Good morning, everyone and welcome to the Next Gen Conference 2025! It’s incredible to see this room full of so many young people, changemakers, and leaders, all gathered here at the Ministry of Sound, a place that’s usually known for music and nightlife, but today is transformed into something even more powerful: a space for democracy, debate, and youth-led change. This conference is about one thing – hope.
We hope that our generation can change the story. We hope that young people are not just talked about in politics, but finally listened to.
As we hold today’s event, we know the challenges that lie ahead of us. Through our own
research we know 63% of young people say they don’t believe major political parties can
improve their lives. 73% say politicians don’t care about people like them And yet – here’s what
matters most – 68% say they care about politics.
Young people aren’t turning away. They’re paying attention. They’re stepping up. They care
deeply about the issues that define our future, from housing and health, to climate, jobs, and
justice.
That’s why My Life My Say exists – to make sure that young people, especially those too often
ignored, have the power to shape the decisions that affect their lives. Because we know that
democracy doesn’t belong in a Westminster corridor. It belongs here – in rooms like this one,
where ideas, diversity, and determination meet.
In the past few years, our movement has grown faster than ever. From coordinating
engagement for the National Youth Strategy, ensuring that over 20,000 young voices were
heard in the government’s agenda for young people, to running the UK’s largest youth voter
campaign registering half a million young people register to vote, to expanding our Democracy
Cafés nationwide, and of course – helping to get Votes at 16 across the line with the v.16
campaign – calling for an update to democracy.
My Life My Say has been working to prove that young people are a generation that deserve to
be heard at all levels of society, politics and government.
But here’s the truth – the future of democracy depends not just on us being heard, but on being
trusted. Trusted with leadership. Trusted with decision-making. Trusted with the power to shape
what comes next. And that’s what today is all about. You’ll hear from voices across politics, media, activism, and culture, people who don’t always agree, but who believe, like we do, that young people deserve a seat at the table.
From Lord Heseltine [Conservative grandee and former Deputy PM] to DJ AG, from Chloe Burrows to Zack Polanski [leader of the Green Party], today’s lineup is proof that the power to make change doesn’t just sit with politicians – it sits with every person brave enough to speak up, organise, and act.
So as you move through the sessions today, whether you’re in the policy panels, the creative
workshops, or the Democracy Café – I want you to remember this: Change has never started in
silence. It starts with conversations like these. It starts with you”.
ENDS
The event was attended by a very mixed audience of aspiring and current activists, leaders, campaigners … all aged under 30) and featured panels, workshops, and speakers all designed to inform, inspire, and connect. Topics ranged from climate change to social media. Officials were in attendance from the Government to discuss two flagship initiatives in the pipeline and gather feedback: “Votes at 16” and “Youth Strategy”.
*The charity #MyLifeMySay is a “youth-led, non-partisan movement on a mission to encourage young people to participate in democracy” and last week it hosted a national conference for young leaders and activists up to the age of 30 at the Ministry of Sound, London – “all about inspiring young minds and forging connections”.
[Young Voices Heard have worked with/supported Dan and his various initiaitives since he was 16 and he and a number of young leaders with potential were featured in a previous series of interviews in Young Voices Heard. We hope to continue to provide more of a platform to get Young Voices Heard going forward. James/Ed]
