The best Brexit deal for students is staying in the EU, which is why I'm backing the Final Say campaign

The whole Brexit referendum and negotiation process has been one massive national embarrassment on the international stage – unlike the UK government, student leaders have been clear about what we want

Brexit is a labyrinth that can seem impossible to navigate. The vast quantity of information available on the subject hasn’t brought with it the most crucial thing: clarity.

We are now hearing stories of the government stockpiling food, medicines and blood, painting a picture of almost apocalyptic Hunger Games. We have heard almost nothing about what the impact of Brexit will be on education, and what has been mentioned has focussed solely on higher education, with no mention of the further education sector.

I don’t want Brexit to happen. I didn’t vote for it, Northern Ireland didn’t vote for it and, overwhelmingly, students didn’t vote for it. It will be disastrous for the north in so many ways, from the threat it poses to peace and potentially undermining the Good Friday Agreement, to what it will do to the agricultural sector and small cross-border businesses; but even more so for the students and apprentices studying here.

Will we lose access to the European social fund and as a result thousands of apprenticeships? Will universities lose research funding from Horizon 2020? Where will students and apprentices be in a pecking order where every sector in the UK is fighting over increasingly tightened budgets?

Austerity and massive cuts to public services have already caused considerable disenchantment with government. People are angry and are being let down by the state. Disabled people are literally dying from cuts to support and services; mental health services are almost nonexistent. It is understandable that people are angry, and it is the UK government that has to answer for it.

We keep hearing the phrase that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. People forget that the UK could still find itself leaving without even a backstop option. What happens then? What happens to the border and what outcome will that have for the fragile and hard-won peace here? What happens to students and apprentices who travel across the border every day to work and study?

It may sound dramatic, but the fact is that nobody knows for sure what will happen. It would be foolish not to consider the worst-case scenarios. The “everything will be OK” mindset must be challenged at every opportunity and we cannot take anything for granted when we have no clarity. It is not too late, and it is not over until it is over: Brexit can be stopped at any time before 29 March.

There was a concerted effort during the referendum to scapegoat immigrants. We have seen this happen throughout history, and the mistakes of the past must never be repeated. We have been lied to and manipulated throughout this process, and worst of all some people have turned the UK into a more hostile place. If this is what a post-Brexit UK looks like, it is not something that I wish to be a part of.

The whole Brexit referendum and negotiation process has been one massive national embarrassment on the international stage. As the President of NUS-USI, I have joined other student leaders as part of a delegation to Brussels. We have raised our concerns coherently. Unlike the UK government, we’ve been clear about what we want.

We want guarantees on continued student mobility cross-border on the island of Ireland and we want all EU citizens here to have the right to remain and travel. We need continued access to EU funding on teaching and learning, Horizon 2020 funding and unchanged access to Erasmus+ – and there must be no increases in fees for students studying on a cross-border basis. It is also essential that all qualifications from the UK and EU are mutually recognised if and when the UK leaves the EU.

It should go without saying that all protections and rights within the 1998 Good Friday Agreement must be retained at all costs. It is overwhelmingly clear to us: we already know the best deal for the students of Northern Ireland on Brexit – it is remaining in the EU.

We are one of the largest representative groups in Northern Ireland with slightly under 200,000 members. Brexit disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. It will limit young people’s opportunities and the only people who stand to benefit are already millionaires.

I am supporting a people’s vote because a transparent and fully informed second referendum would restore democratic principles following a disgraceful 2016 referendum campaign. Democracy isn’t about asking people what they want once; it is an ongoing process of informed engagement. Let us engage. Let us shape the decisions that will impact on our future.

Let us have a Final Say, as The Independent is calling for, and give us a people’s vote on the Brexit deal so that we can end the chaos. This affects our future – and since we are the people who will bear the brunt of this destructive and illogical move, let us have the final say. Give us a chance to stop Brexit.

Olivia Potter-Hughes is president of NUS-USI, the student movement in Northern Ireland, and supporter of For our Future’s Sake