Member of Youth Parliament James Lawson has had a busy month both participating in a Duke of Edinburgh hike and working on his campaign – Young People and the Fragile Environment – where James has been making some really great progress.

At the start of July, I had to miss the meeting because of my Duke of Edinburgh hike. Although the meeting would have certainly been more enjoyable, the walk emphasised the need for young people to exercise, because by the end checkpoint, our whole team felt more relaxed, and we gained important teamworking skills. I believe schools have the responsibility to offer challenging outdoor activities like Duke of Edinburgh, but at a lower cost so more people can experience the benefits.

After the hike, I shifted my attention back to school and Youth Parliament, receiving freshly laminated posters to put around the village. The posters have a clear message: “Litter Kills”, and accompanying the text are pictures that show the results of littering. Look around the village of Bishops Hull in the next few weeks, to see the posters as I put them up.

As well as putting up posters, I have been designing a website on which I can post articles about an eco-friendly lifestyle. The website aims to be a hub for environmental activism, and I have several organisations that would be happy to write articles and promote the website. Accompanying this website would be an eco-friendly YouTube channel, which can spread awareness to the masses, since YouTube is the most used social media and streaming platform.

The final action for this month was planning my strategy which I will use for more actions over the next year. The strategy involves targeting three main areas of society, to create maximum awareness. These areas are Government, business and residents. I plan to encourage businesses to purchase solar panels, campaign for the council to supply more bins (in useful areas) and help local communities battle climate issues together.

James

Somerset Youth Parliament campaigns

Each Member of Youth Parliament works on a campaign during their term, which is supported by their Deputies and the Advisory Group. It allows us to understand what changes young people want to see in the communities they live in and makes sure that those views are heard by Somerset’s decision makers.

To find out more about our Member of Youth Parliament’s campaigns visit our Campaigns page.