Dear Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Dear Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street London SW1A 2AA Dear Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, As part of a project with three Manchester City Primary Schools exploring equality, rights and values, four classes of year 6 primary school students collectively wrote the following letter to you. Any replies sent to us at the address below will be taken to, and forwarded to the students at all three schools. Dear Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, We all know you are trying your best, but we need you to try harder. Everything you do decides how people can live. You have the power to do anything, and we need you to use it to help us. There have been so many scary things happening. We need you to listen to us, even though we are not 18 and can’t vote, we are still citizens. How would you feel if you didn’t have a say in how your future is? People listen to you, and we need you to listen to us! People have to choose between eating or paying their bills. We have to time every shower because we know how much it costs and we need enough money to get us through the week. We are really struggling. I’m worried that my parents won’t have enough money to put petrol in the car to go to work and then we will have to worry even more about paying the rent and all the bills. It doesn’t feel right that there are so many rich people making profit from things like petrol when people like us are scared about being able to get to school and having a school uniform. We are worried about poverty, racism, homophobia, climate change and more, including teenagers feeling like they have to carry knives to feel safe. We are worried that the world is broken. It shouldn’t matter where you were born, or what family you are part of, we should all be treated with kindness, respected and given opportunities. We should all have equal human rights. Everyone should have a home. We should all feel that it is ok to be ourselves and feel safe, no matter who you are or which community you are part of. As well as respecting all people, we also need to respect animals and the environment. We’re worried that less than 10% of everyday plastic actually gets recycled and so much is sent abroad and burned, which is so bad for the environment. Animals homes are being destroyed and becoming extinct. You need to tell companies that they have to do things differently.

We think that if you were affected by the things that we are affected by, then you would act faster, you need to think about what it would be like to be in our shoes and be a better ally. You need to listen to us and understand. Inequality was happening when you were younger, so why have you let it continue? Why have you tolerated all the racism, hate towards people who are LGBTQ+, islamophobia, antisemitism, ableism, sexism, transphobia, classism, wealth inequality, poverty, and many other types of discrimination? These are affecting our lives now, at 10 years old, and we want things to get better for us when we’re older, and for younger children. You are in power now, you can make a difference now. Please use your power wisely. Please stand for love, kindness and respect. Yours sincerely, Year 6 pupils from Manchester City schools Crowcroft Park Primary School in Longsight, St Wilfrid's CE Primary School in Newton Heath, Haveley Hey Community School in Wythenshawe. Sent by Art with Heart as part of ‘Small Voices’ a project listening to children about how to improve the city and society. Part of the UNICEF Child Friendly City events ‘Year of the Child’ with Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

No voice too small

This letter was written by Year 6 primary school students from Manchester City schools Crowcroft Park Primary School in Longsight, St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School in Newton Heath, Haveley Hey Community School in Wythenshawe as part of our Small Voices project.

After workshops exploring equality, rights and values, four classes of year 6 students collectively wrote a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Any replies sent to us will be taken to, and forwarded to the students at all three schools.

Small Voices is a special edition episode of our podcast, Box Tickers, created with and centred on children’s equality. The episode explores what equality means to young people in Manchester and what adults can do to make things better for the next generation.

Click here to listen to the podcast:

On Spotify 

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‘Small Voices’ is written on two illustrated pencils next to the line ‘writing the wrongs of inequality’