On Friday 28 February, Somerset’s elected Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) Emma, James and Ellie will be joining the MYPs from across the UK at the House of Commons to represent their constituencies and debate identified issues Important to young people.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Speaker of the House of Commons said that he ‘was very proud that this sitting of the UK Youth Parliament will be the most inclusive and exciting yet. I cannot wait to hear the thoughts and views of the young people from across the UK, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown Dependencies, on the issues that matter to them’.
“I feel honoured to be given the opportunity to put Somerset’s youth voice onto a UK wide level. As a small rural county, with neighbours who experience much greater tourism, Somerset youth voice doesn’t often find itself in the spotlight. I hope that at the House of Commons, I will be successful in my mission to show Somerset’s children and young people’s voices. Thank you to the House of Commons for allowing this debate to happen”
MYP James Lawson
At the end of the day MYPs will then vote to decide on which priority issues to address in their UK Manifesto. MYPs in Somerset run a local campaign of their choice and they also support the UK Youth Parliament manifesto work and developments.
“The opportunity to visit the House of Commons as youth representatives allows us to converse with many other MYPs across the UK wide programme; Together we can create lots of change to benefit our generation. This experience gives us a unique forum to represent young people and choice what our manifesto focus is going to be; ensuring that all MYPs have a choice on what they wish to be the focus. In a time where political education is so important for young people, this opportunity represents young people’s voice, our voice on a political stage so we can raise awareness on what young people think and need. Thank you to the UK parliament for allowing us to gain this experience.”
MYP Emma Brown
Leigh Middleton OBE, CEO of the National Youth Agency said “Youth voice is a central tenet of youth work and the UK Youth Parliament provides young people with a valuable opportunity to debate the issues which they have identified as being important whilst gaining first-hand experience of the political process.” He continued “The Annual Sitting really is the highlight of the UK Youth Parliament calendar when we get to see the young members of Youth Parliament shine in the prestigious setting as they deliver their impassioned speeches and arguments for reform”
I’m really glad that young people are given the opportunities to begin to shift the political narrative, as our media & misconceptions often detract from the aspects which should be more widely focused upon. Politics has the potential to inspire and empower, and the House of Commons debate is one of the best examples of these positive qualities in action, creating an environment where we can be free to promote the interests most close to our hearts.”
MYP Ellie Bealing
This event will be being broadcast live on the 28th February, so tune in from 11.00am, join later in the day or even watch the debates to find out what happened. You can stream the event live here at www.parliamentlive.tv
