The Labour peer Baroness Doreen Lawrence has implored for young people to take radical action and called on them to turn out in force at the ballot box at the general election on May 7.
Speaking in Brighton to a packed-in audience, the mother of deceased black teenager Stephen Lawrence said too many minorities were still being marginalised in the education system and that more should be done to support the 50% of young people who don't go to university.
"I can't stand another five years of what I've seen is happening to young people," the Baroness said.
She encouraged young voters, who customarily have the lowest levels of turnout at election time, to shun a lack of engagement in Westminster politics and vote "whatever party you choose".
In a visit to a north London school on Thursday, Lawrence encouraged the assembled teenagers to believe in themselves and their potential.
“I remember once at a sixth form a young person said he didn’t expect to live beyond 25,” the Evening Standard reported her as saying.
“We need to change those mindsets and show there’s a future for them with jobs and housing.
Her passionate comments come as the government recorded a record-breaking 166,000 sign-ups to vote on National Voter Registration Day, spearhead by youth-engagement organisation, including the NUS and BiteTheBallot.