Johnny Moesel – Civic Shift
Unearthed article, May 2026
Johnny, a pupil in the Upper Sixth at Sherborne Boys, has founded Civic Shift, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the relationship between young people and the UK’s democratic system. Through partnerships with schools, youth clubs and political figures, the initiative aims to encourage healthier political dialogue and greater civic participation among young people.
Johnny began developing the idea after noticing how disengaged many of his peers felt from politics. Civic Shift seeks to address this by rebuilding the skills and confidence needed for constructive discussion. “Politics ultimately asks two questions,” Johnny explains. “What do we want, and how do we get there? Learning to talk about those questions respectfully is a vital civic skill.”
At the heart of Civic Shift is a commitment to being youth-led and non-partisan, providing spaces where young people can exchange ideas without the pressure of party politics. The organisation’s work is structured around three initiatives. Civic Bridge connects schools and youth organisations with politicians and public figures through a speaker network designed to make civic engagement more accessible. Civic Voices will provide an online platform where young people can share short opinion pieces or videos and respond to one another’s ideas, encouraging active listening and open dialogue. Looking further ahead, Civic Lab aims to develop a university-based research network exploring youth engagement in politics.
Civic Shift is already working with a growing network of schools, MPs and civil servants, and Johnny hopes the organisation will continue to expand. His goal is simple but ambitious: to empower young people across the UK to engage confidently, thoughtfully and respectfully with the democratic conversations that shape society.
