YOUNGSTERS have the same fears and hopes for society as the rest of us and now the pupils of Gilbrook Technology College in South Bank can vouch for it.

They attended a seminar on the formal introduction of citizenship at Whitehall recently and heard that young people rate protection from crime, access to a health service and being treated equally are the rights they would least like to lose.

They said obeying the law, helping others and working hard were all more important to being a good citizen than becoming active in politics, according to a recent survey.

Only 27 per cent of young people would be upset if the right to vote was taken away from them.

The results of the survey of 500 seven to 15-year-olds carried out by BBC Newsround were announced at a citizenship event in Whitehall attended by children from Gillbrook Technology College to mark the introduction of citizenship into the national curriculum this September.

Students at Gillbrook Technology College were joined recently by local MP Vera Baird to participate in a classroom Citizenship Challenge on the theme of democracy.