About us
Somerset Youth Parliament is our local, official Universal Youth Voice Group, which represents the views and voices of all Somerset young people aged 11-18 years.
Who are we?
Somerset has three publicly elected Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) who run campaigns and an open Advisory Group who support them but also run projects which address issues and topics of interest for local young people.
Elections run every two years and each successful candidate runs a campaign of their choice for the duration of their term of office.
One place for all voices
It starts with you
Have your say on the things that matter to you in Somerset and across the country. Talking about the things you want and need, raising the issues that matter to you. Using Somerset Youth Parliament as the platform to amplify your voice for your future.
Our pledge
Putting you first
Empower Somerset’s young people to identify, raise awareness of and debate the important issues to you.
Listen to young people in Somerset, represent your views, and act on the issues that are important to you.
Work with young people in Somerset, share what we’re doing with the issues you’ve raised. Somerset Youth Parliament is a universally representative and diverse group of young people who work hard to try to improve the lives of young people, no matter what their background, circumstances or abilities.
They are dedicated to fairness, equality and democracy.
Youth engagement charter
To make sure young people in Somerset can express their opinions and are listened to, Somerset Council and its partners signed up to a Youth Engagement Charter.
The Charter sets out Somerset Council and its partners commitment to make sure they listen to, respect and act on what young people from across Somerset say. The Charter included a commitment to make it easier for young people to find out about the Somerset Council and what it does, to take part in debates and to find out how their contributions make a difference.
Work with us
Need help, feedback, support or advice – do you want to engage, consult or collaborate with young people about your service or project direction?
For more information about how we can work with you, contact us.
Our commissioned work includes:
Focus groups
A small but diverse selection of our members come together to share their opinions on a topic or issue. Focus groups can be semi-structured or structured around a set of questions and is a good way of gathering qualitative data from young people.
Workshops
This method allows in depth discussion and analysis of a particular outcome. For example, a strategy or action plan where an organisation wishes to take young people’s views into account.
Discussion sessions
A discussion day is an engaging and participative way to hear young people’s views on a particular issue or topic.
Research
We sometimes carry out research on specific issues so that we can fully understand and represent young people’s views. Our research has influenced action plans and strategic direction on policy developments.