The last three years I have spent as a member of the UK Youth Parliament has proved to me that the chamber is where young people’s voices belong. It has shown me that young people are a driving force behind change and will create a better, brighter future for our world.
UK Youth Parliament is formed up of a diverse group of young people with 53% female members, 34% identifying as BAME, and 23% identifying as having a disability. This is something all of our members are extremely proud of as this shows that, no matter who you are, that you do have a voice and will be listened to. Imogen Walsh, the steering group member for the North West, said: “The Youth Parliament consistently has a gender-balanced cohort and is a safe place for LGBT+ young people, respecting preferred pronouns and names.”
UK Youth Parliament provides opportunities for many young people, especially the marginalised. Becoming a member has helped them develop confidence and feel welcomed in politics. Meera Saravanan, Member of Youth Parliament for Trafford, said: “The Youth Parliament has given so many young people a platform to stand up for what they believe in.”
We also hold the largest youth consultation in Europe every year. The Make Your Mark ballot highlights the key issues for young people across the UK, which is taken to the House of Commons and debated. Stuart Dunne, CEO of Youth Focus North West, commends the Members of Youth Parliament’s work saying: “The young people in the UK Youth Parliament do a wonderful job in enthusing and engaging their peers.” In 2018, the Make Your Mark ballot received over one million votes. This is our highest ever turnout and proves that young people are very politically engaged.
I highly commend Members of the Youth Parliament, past and present, on their campaigning. When I was only 14-years-old I was surrounded by inspirational people such as Haroon Irshad (former Member of Youth Parliament for Birmingham), whose courage to stand up for what he believes in never failed to inspire me; Jess Leigh (Former Member of Youth Parliament for Cheshire), who fought for young women to speak up about sexual harassment emboldened myself and many other young women to do so; and Emma Greenwood (Member of Youth Parliament for Bury), who persistently campaigns to protect our planet’s future. I could write all day about every member who has inspired me, but then we’d have a list three hundred people long.
Members of Youth Parliament consistently run fantastic campaigns to aid the young people that they represent. For example, Alex Davies (Member of Youth Parliament for Stockport) runs No Child Left Behind UK, which campaigns towards increasing support given to bereaved young people; Eva Carroll (Former Member of Youth Parliament for Liverpool) ran a very successful campaign around street harassment, and 43 of this year’s Members of Youth Parliament came together to create a video campaign to thank all key workers for their efforts at this time.
I have never felt more welcome than when I attend UK Youth Parliament events. When I was younger, I thought being involved in politics was impossible. Now, because of the UK Youth Parliament, I have been given a voice on a national platform to represent young people. For me, the UK Youth Parliament bridged the gap between me – a young, working-class woman to the House of Commons chamber. I hope that the UK Youth Parliament will do the same for many others like me in the future.
UK Youth Parliament shows how diverse our nation is and how driven young people are to inspire and instigate change, no matter what barriers they must overcome. To any young people reading this, I want you to know that YOU can make a change. In the words of Dr Seuss: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better”.
I will end with a final message from Jess Leigh: “The UK Youth Parliament is more than just a political organisation, it is a support network, a voice and a hope for the future.” I think she has perfectly captured the essence of the UK Youth Parliament, and I hope that many of you would be inclined to agree.
Dmitrijs Meiksans and Faith Oliver have been nominated for the National Diversity Awards 2020 for their work as Members of Youth Parliament and advocates within their communities. The National Diversity Awards celebrate the excellent achievements of grass-root communities that tackle the issues in today’s society.
Dmitrijs, aged 14, was nominated for the Positive Role Model award in the Age category, in recognition of his work within the youth sector, his dedication to supporting young people’s mental health and speaking out about bullying. Besides being a Member of Youth Parliament, Dmitrijs is also heavily involved within his local community. He is the Vice-Chair of the Hampshire Youth Network, Youth Ambassador for local Test-Valley based charity Unity and the Youth Advisor to the Board of Trustees for Andover Trees United.
Dmitrijs Meiksans, Member of Youth Parliament for Member of Youth Parliament for North West Hampshire, said: “Shocked is not the word to describe what I am feeling. I feel grateful and thankful to whoever nominated me for this honourable award.”
He continued to say: “I never thought doing something you were passionate about would win you anything. I simply started with a goal to make a difference to young people’s lives and inspire those who have struggled with their mental health and those who have experienced bullying”.
Faith, aged 16, was also nominated for the Positive Role Model award, within the LGBT category, highlighting the powerful and inspiring work Faith does for the community, including her campaign to criminalise conversion therapy.
Faith Oliver, Member of Youth Parliament for Stockport said: “I greatly appreciate my nomination for this year’s National Diversity Awards. I take great pride in being able to represent my community. Being recognised for my work on criminalising conversion therapy and reducing the stigma around speaking up about hate crime makes me extremely grateful.”
Both of these young people continue to make a momentous difference to both young people and their communities and we would encourage everyone to vote for them in their respective categories. Voting is now open until Friday 15th May.
Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair, British Youth Council, the charity which organises UK Youth Parliament, said: “Congratulations to Faith and Dmitrijs! I’m delighted to learn they have been nominated for a National Diversity Award for the tremendous social action they have led on in their local communities.
“Young people are committed to bringing about social and political change in their community and I’m excited to hear to see the value of their voices being recognised by such a prestigious award”
To vote for Dmitrijs, please visit www.tinyurl.com/DMKVoteVote and to vote for Faith, please visit https://tinyurl.com/VoteForFO
About the Campaign
Out National Campaign for 2020 – ‘Protect the Future’
We will be campaigning to tackle the impact and continuation of climate change between February and October 2020. In 2019, young people across the UK voted to prioritise climate change as the UK campaign issue. Following the ballot, Members of Youth Parliament voted in the House of Commons for ‘Protect Our Future’ to be the leading national campaign for 2020.
- 11% of the world’s population is currently vulnerable to climate change impacts such as droughts, floods, heat waves, extreme weather events and sea-level rise – that’s 800 million people.
- Climate change is currently only taught in schools as a small part of Geography and Chemistry. There is no requirement for it to be taught across subjects as a core part of the primary and secondary curriculum.
- 18 of the warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000 – the planet is getting hotter.
- Within the next 30 years, London will have the same weather as Barcelona currently has.
- Climate change is affecting floods in the UK – floods in northern England and southern Scotland are 55% bigger, on average, than they were five decades ago.
- Global sea levels are set to rise by more than 2 meters in the next 80 years.
- This means that major cities across the world including New York, Venice and Amsterdam could be submerged, displacing up to 187 million people
- 85% of people in the UK say they are worried about climate change.
- Currently, only 1% of vehicles on the road are electric. In order to meet our target to have 100% electric vehicles by 2050, we need to replace over .
- The latest UN analysis shows that if we act now, we can drastically cut carbon emissions within 12 years and reduce the increase in the global average temperature.
Actions
We would like to take action on the Climate Emergency through:[Heading 3]
- Holding conversations and debates in schools and youth groups across the UK and inform decision makers of the outcomes
- Gaining further support from decision makers on a local and national level
- Creating a wider conversation to increase engagement and continue to inspire young people to take part in democracy
Sign our petition calling on the government to protect the environment.
UK Youth Parliament have launched their national campaigns, ‘Protect Our Future’, which demands action to halt the climate emergency and ‘Youth Action on Knife Crime’ which calls on the UK Government to address knife crime as a public health issue. Young people declared climate change a top concern with knife crime also becoming a priority for the second time.
A Spokesperson for the UK Youth Parliament said: “The climate emergency and knife crime are the biggest issues facing young people and politicians must work to address their concerns with some urgency and with young people’s voices at the table.”
The climate change campaign recognises the situation will only be improved by the combination of individual action and government-level change. Members of Youth Parliament believe the government must act to halt the impact of climate change. UK Youth Parliament state young people’s voices should be at the heart of decision making as they will be most affected by climate change in the future.
Knife crime remains a priority for the UK Youth Parliament, following a year highlighting the prevalence of knife crime in the UK. This years campaign will continue to back the Youth Violence Commission’s calls for the Government to adopt a public health approach but will also call on the Government to roll back the use of ‘stop and search’ as a method of addressing knife carrying.
Each campaign was chosen following the UK Youth Parliament’s debate within the House of Commons chamber on Friday 8th November 2019.
UK Youth Parliament have chosen to focus on the climate emergency and knife crime in 2020. The new campaigns have been declared following the UK Youth Parliament’s debate within the House of Commons chamber on Friday 8th November 2019. Climate change was declared a top concern in the UK Youth Parliament’s Make Your Mark ballot of over 800,000 young people.
The annual session was chaired by the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP and Deputy Speaker, Dame Eleanor Laing MP over the course of one day. Passionate speeches and eloquent arguments were made on the most important issues affecting young people. During the debates, UK Youth Parliament debated ‘ending knife crime’, ‘mental health’, ‘curriculum for life’, ‘tackling hate crime’ and ‘protect the environment’.
UK Youth Parliament is made up of young people from across the UK, who are elected by 11-18-year olds in constituencies to represent them and use their voice to raise the issues which affect them. At the end of the day, Members of the Youth Parliament walked through the famous voting lobbies of the House of Commons to select climate change as the petition to be debated by MPs in the new Parliament.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said “It is so important that young people are politically engaged in politics today, and that is why it was my pleasure to preside over the 11th sitting of the UK Youth Parliament.
Not only were the debaters very skilled, I am quite sure many of those taking part will be returning to our green benches in the years to come.”
Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair, British Youth Council, the charity which organises UK Youth Parliament, said: “Climate change and knife crime are two of the biggest issues facing young people, according to the UK Youth Parliament’s ballot.
“Members of Youth Parliament took these issues to the heart of our democracy, Parliament, and it is now for MPs and Government to ensure action is taken to address these issues.”
You can watch the morning session and afternoon session on UK Parliament’s YouTube channel.
Members of Youth Parliament are set to formally launch the campaigns during their day of action in January 2020. UK Youth Parliament have started to develop campaign actions for the campaigns ahead.
Following a nationwide consultation, climate change has been declared the biggest priority for young people across the UK. The Make Your Mark campaign, which was sponsored by Fledglink, called on young people aged 11-18 to choose which issue they felt was a priority.
The ballot has seen more than 825,000 young people take part, maintaining the campaign as one of the largest consultations of young people in UK history. The Make Your Mark ballot is run by the British Youth Council with support from Local Authorities, schools, UK Parliament, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
The five issues that have been prioritised are:
- Protect the Environment – We believe that we have a responsibility to protect the environment from the effects of climate change for the next generation; and that the Government should look towards carbon neutral alternatives.
- Put an end to Knife crime – Too many young people’s lives are lost to knife crime; the Government need to do more to help end the knife crime epidemic.
- Mental Health – Mental health services should be improved with young
- people’s help; and should be available in schools..
- Tackling Hate Crime – We should be educated on how to report hate crime. We believe the Government should invest in creating safe spaces that promote unity in communities.
- Curriculum to Prepare Us for Life – Schools should cover topics like finance, sex and relationship education and politics.
Speaking on behalf of UK Youth Parliament, Samira-Caterina Monteleone, said: “The climate emergency is a problem that will affect young people more than any other generation. We know this issue cannot be ignored. This is young people sending an unambiguous message: this Government must take steps to protect our environment.”
Knife crime was voted the most important issue for young people in 2018, and remains a critical issue as knife crime hits a new record high. Members of Youth Parliament have been campaigning on knife crime throughout 2019, calling on the Government to take urgent action.
Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair, British Youth Council, the charity which commissioned the consultation, said: “It’s truly amazing to have so many young people take part in the Make Your Mark ballot.
Young people have declared climate change, knife crime, mental health and a reform curriculum as their top priorities. Decision makers must now take step to address these issues directly.”
The consultation gives young people across the country a say on what is to be debated on the green benches of the House of Commons by Members of Youth Parliament. Each issue will be discussed in the chamber on Friday 8th November at the UK Youth Parliament’s ninth sitting.
(Pictured: Members of Youth Parliament, during the 2018 House of Commons Sitting)
The sitting of Members of Youth Parliament is still the only time anyone other than MPs debate on the famous green benches with MPs only recently granting access for this new term of Parliament. The debates will be concluded with a vote to decide on which issues should become their priority campaign in 2020.
The British Youth Council have praised the UK Labour Party for publishing comprehensive plans for statutory youth services. The youth-led charity also called on other political parties to set out their proposals for services that meet the needs of young people growing up in the UK.
The new plans, which were published as part of Labour’s vision for ‘Rebuilding Youth Services’, also include pledges to support regional, national and international collaboration. Within the vision, the political party outlines plans to maintain a close future relationship with the EU and cooperate with Member States and other European countries to co-ordinate youth policy. Members of the British Youth Council have stressed the importance of recognising European and global youth work in the UK, particularly initiatives that connect European affairs and young people’s everyday lives.
Commenting on pledge, Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair, British Youth Council said: “Youth services across the country have been decimated since 2010. Labour’s comprehensive plan responds to the growing concerns of young people. Youth services need proper funding and a long-term vision so we can build a more fairer, safer and stronger environment for younger generations.
“We’d love you see more political parties making detailed offers to young people that directly address the multifaceted issues they face growing up in the UK”
The new commitments from the Labour Party, which follows recent announcements from the Government confirming a new Youth Investment Fund, includes a pledge to strengthen the UK Youth Parliament and local youth councils.
Responding to the announcement, Simran Sangherra, a member of the Procedures Group, which coordinates the UK Youth Parliament said: “We welcome Labour’s new commitments to statutory youth services. Young campaigners have been calling for better youth services for almost 10 years because we recognise how much they can support young people’s social and development needs.
“We’re also delighted to learn of their intention to strengthen youth voice. Young people should be at the forefront of decision making that affects their lives and UK Youth Parliament can play an important role in bringing about social change through meaningful representation and campaigning.”
As part of their plan, the opposition party also responded to long-standing calls for a dedicated minister, confirming they intend to appoint a Minister for Children and Young People with responsibility for the youth services at the Department for Education.
The British Youth Council would like to express thanks for the Speaker of the House of Commons’ long-standing support for the work of the British Youth Council and UK Youth Parliament throughout his tenure, following the announcement Rt Hon John Bercow MP intends to step down by Thursday 31st October 2019 or at the next election.
Commenting on the announcement, Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair of the British Youth Council, the charity that coordinates UK Youth Parliament, said: “The British Youth Council would like to thank the Speaker of the House of Commons for being a persistent champion of the voices of young people in UK Parliament.
“John Bercow MP has been a long-term supporter of youth voice, and importantly UK Youth Parliament, throughout his time as Speaker of the House of Commons”
The Speaker of the House of Commons chaired every Commons Sitting of the UK Youth Parliament throughout his ten-year tenure within the role and spoke at each Annual Conference, most recently at their event in Nottingham.
A spokesperson for the UK Youth Parliament said “We are sad to learn of the Speaker’s intention to step down and we thank him for his commitment to youth voice in UK Parliament.
“We will be working with Parliamentary colleagues to establish how this will affect proceedings of UK Youth Parliament’s House of Commons Sitting”
UK Youth Parliament has launched ‘Make Your Mark’, the largest UK youth consultation of its kind. Following the campaign, the top issues will be brought to the attention of Government Ministers including the newly appointed Minister for Civil Society, Baroness Barran MBE, who has taken on responsibility for youth policy.
The annual ballot, which has taken place since 2011, will give young people aged 11-18 the chance to select one UK-wide issue, one devolved issue and give them the opportunity to identify an issue in their local communities. The ballot includes issues such as knife crime, the environment, mental health in schools and hate crime.
This year’s nationwide campaign is funded by Fledglink and supported by the British Youth Council and UK Parliament. The campaign, which is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of young people, will see Members of Youth Parliament and volunteers across the country, invite young people in schools and youth groups to take this opportunity to have their say, to influence the Government and decision makers in their communities. In 2018, more than 1.1 million young people from every corner of the country took part.
Khadeejah Hullemuth, a member of the Procedures Group, which coordinates the UK Youth Parliament said: “Hundreds of thousands of young people across the country will get a chance to declare which issues are their biggest priority.
“Make Your Mark gives decision makers at every level of government the opportunity to understand young people’s priorities. Young people are passionate about the world they live in and their futures and politicians should not only listen to our concerns but act on them”
The top issues will be debated in the House of Commons chamber on Friday 8th November. The debate, which has taken place every year since 2009, will be chaired by Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, who spoke at the UK Youth Parliament’s Annual Conference in Leeds earlier this month. After the debates, Members of Youth Parliament will walk through the division lobbies to vote on what should become their priority campaigns for 2019. In previous years, mental health, tackling racism and religious discrimination and knife crime have been prioritised.
Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: “Every year the Make Your Mark ballot provides a fantastic opportunity for millions of young people across the UK to engage with Parliament and the democratic process.
“Last year, over a million young people made their voices heard, as they voted for vital motions to be debated by Members of the UK Youth Parliament. This year looks like it will be no different. I look forward to welcoming the inspiring Youth Members again as they capture the imagination by debating the crucial issues affecting the future of our United Kingdom.”
Find out more information about the consultation by visiting: www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/makeyourmark
About the Campaign
Our National Campaign for 2019 – ‘Votes for 16 and 17 year olds in all public elections’
Over 1.5 million 16 and 17 year olds are currently unable to vote in elections and referendums across the UK. This has been a key issue for the UK Youth Parliament for multiple years and was voted for by over 80,000 11-18 year olds in the 2018 Make Your Mark ballot. Following the ballot, Members of Youth Parliament voted in the House of Commons for ‘Votes at 16’ to be the leading national campaign for 2019. Young people are passionate to take part in democracy and want to be involved in the discussions that affect their daily lives. Until the government lowers the voting age across the UK, many young people will not get the right to vote on the issues that affect them.
Members of Youth Parliament will now work alongside the Votes at 16 Coalition, to campaign for young people to gain the right to vote in all public elections from the age of 16.
What is this important?
16 and 17 year-olds are not granted the opportunity to influence key decisions that affect their lives on a day to day basis. This means that many of their concerns are dismissed despite the fact many young people will engage when given an authentic opportunity.
It is also important to highlight that not all 16 and 17-year-olds across the UK have the same rights. In Scotland, 16 and 17-year-olds have been allowed to vote in all Scottish elections since May 2016. This step in the right direction was impacted hugely by the results of the Scottish referendum whereby 75% of 16 and 17-year-olds turned out to vote. This just goes to show that when young people are given the opportunity to influence a decision that shapes their future, they are eager to get involved.
Finally, there are no justifications for not aligning the rights of 16 and 17 year-olds with their responsibilities. Over 1.5 million 16 and 17 year-olds are denied the right to vote but are allowed by law to;
- Give full consent to medical treatment;
- Pay income tax and National Insurance
- Obtain tax credits and welfare benefits in their own right
- Consent to sexual relationships
- Get married or enter a civil partnership, with parental consent;
- Change their name by deed poll;
- Become a director of a company;
- Serve in the armed forces but not deployed on the front line.
Actions
For the campaign to be as effective as possible the UK Youth Parliament believe that it is important to get everyone involved. From Parliament to the playground, it is essential that everyone engages in the conversation and takes action on the campaign.
We would like to take action in lowering the voting age – through:
- Holding conversations and debates in schools and youth groups across the UK and inform decision makers of the outcomes
- Gaining further support from decision makers on a local and national level
- Creating a wider conversation to increase engagement and continue to inspire young people to take part in democracy
What’s been happening online?
You can follow all the action on Twitter via #Votesat16.
Download resources
Visit votesat16.org for more resources
For the campaign to be as effective as possible the UK Youth Parliament believe that it is important to get everyone involved. From Parliament to playground, it is essential that everyone engages in the conversation and takes action on the campaign.
What are we going to do about it?
- Widen the conversation- Increase the number of people who are engaged in Votes at 16.
- Increase support among decisions makers.
- Highlight young people’s participation in democracy.
When are we releasing more details and getting started?
It has already begun! The campaign launched during our National Day of Action on Friday 20th January 2017.
What’s been happening online?
You can follow all the action on Twitter via #Votesat16.
I’m a Member of Youth Parliament – Where can I find resources?
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