UK Youth Parliament campaigns.
About the campaign
In 2020’s Make Your Mark ballot young people voted for free university as one of their top 3 priorities for the coming year. UK Youth Parliament will be campaigning alongside the National Union of Students (NUS) to create a campaign for free, lifelong and inclusive education and advocate for the Government to adopt it as we move forward into Covid-19 recovery.
We’ll be working with you to listen to young people, create a manifesto for inclusive education and campaign so that education is given the attention it deserves by decision makers locally and nationally in the coming year.
Campaign Detail
The NUS have developed resources to run “Transforming Education” events. You can run these in your school or town hall. At this event you’ll work with other young people to create a “Manifesto for Inclusive Education which we’ll then use to advocate for an inclusive vision of education moving forward. We’ll work with politicians from across parties to host a Parliamentary event campaigning for the vision we develop together.
University and Education Facts and Statistics
- In 2020, students graduating from English universities will have incurred an average of £40,280 of student loan debt, compared with £24,960 in Wales, £23,520 in Northern Ireland, and £13,890 in Scotland.
- The value of outstanding student loans at the end of March 2020 reached £140 billion
- In 2020 interest rates on student loans continued to rise. In September they went from 5.4% to 5.6%.
- NUS estimate that around 20% of students have been unable to access their learning at all during covid-19, and 33% do not believe it to have been good quality.
- In 2019, a 26 percent black attainment gap existed between the proportion of ‘top degrees’ (first or a 2:1 degree) achieved by white students and students of colour.
Download resources
About the campaign
In 2020’s Make Your Mark ballot young people voted for mental health as one of their top 3 priorities for the coming year. UK Youth Parliament will be campaigning alongside YoungMinds to build a movement for change and ensure that children and young people’s mental health is at the heart of the government’s approach to pandemic recovery.
We’ll be working with you to listen to young people, create a manifesto for change and campaign so that young people’s mental health is given the attention it deserves by decision makers locally and nationally in the coming year.
Campaign Detail
We will be partnering with YoungMinds to support their campaign actions for local mental health hubs and to create a blueprint for children and young people’s mental health.
Mental health facts and statistics
- 20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year.
- 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24.
- In 2020, one in six (16.0%) children aged 5 to 16 years were identified as having a probable mental disorder, increasing from one in nine (10.8%) in 2017.
- Children and young people with a probable mental disorder were more likely to say that lockdown had made their life worse (54.1% of 11 to 16 year olds, and 59.0% of 17 to 22 year olds), than those unlikely to have a mental disorder (39.2% and 37.3% respectively)
Some statistics from YoungMinds about Covid-19 and young people’s mental health from their recent survey:
- 83% of respondents agreed that the coronavirus pandemic had made their mental health worse. (32% said it had made their mental health “much worse”; 51% said it had made their mental health “a bit worse”)
- Among the respondents who were accessing mental health support in the lead-up to the crisis (including from the NHS, school and university counsellors, private providers, charities and helplines), 74% said that they were still getting some level of mental health support, despite the immense challenges services are facing. 26% of young people who had been accessing support said that they were not currently able to access support.
- When asked to share how different activities affected their mental health, respondents reported that face-to-face calls with friends (72%), watching TV/films (72%), exercise (60%) and learning new skills (59%) were helpful for their mental health during this time.
- 66% of respondents agreed that watching or reading the news was unhelpful for their mental health.
Download resources
About campaign
In 2020’s Make Your Mark ballot young people voted both plastic pollution and climate change in their top 5 priority issues. UK Youth Parliament will be campaigning to address climate change at the UK level with a particular focus on making sure that we stop non-essential single use plastics by 2025.
Plastic pollution and climate change more broadly are issues with global impact. We are proud that UK Youth Parliament has a nationwide network of young people working for change. That’s why we have partnered with Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace to make sure that you can take part in meaningful action to address this issue locally, nationally and globally.
Campaign Detail
This campaign will follow the Plastic Pollution Bill (this is a Presentation Bill – this means that we won’t be campaigning to have the whole thing made law, but will be working with politicians to try to have bits of it included in different laws. You can find out more about it here: https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2019-21/plasticpollution.html) Although we have campaign actions planned out over the course of 2021/22 the nature of the Parliamentary calendar at the moment means we will occasionally have to respond quickly in advocating for change. In March/April we will kick off our campaign by forming a Campaign Steering Group who will mobilise young people in their areas and advise on when we should get involved/which particular aspects of the Bill we should advocate for.
Plastic pollution facts and statistics.
Stopping plastic pollution won’t be possible without also reducing plastic production. Sadly, end of life solutions like litter picks and recycling are not enough: government must reduce the amount of plastics produced in the first place and make reuse the easiest option for everyone.
The good news is that new laws are being written in the Environment Bill right now: Friends of the Earth are calling on government to seize this historic opportunity and turn the tide on the plastics crisis by setting laws that turn off the tap of plastic pollution. A first step towards achieving this is to end the use of non-essential single use plastics by 2025. Here are some statistics that help us think about the current picture when it comes to plastic pollution and some of the ways this might be linked to the climate crisis. You can use these facts when you’re speaking with your peers or decision makers about the campaign.
- By 2050 plastic in the oceans will outweigh fish, weighing at least 937 million tons of plastic to 895 million tons of fish, if plastic pollution continues at current rates (https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-in-ocean-outweighs-fish-evidence-report-2017-1)
- The average Briton’s annual plastic waste includes 242 plastic bottles, 109 single-use coffee cups and 209 crisp packets (https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/poll-reveals-typical-brits-annual-waste/)
- Every day approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans. (OSPAR, 2009)
- 12 million tonnes of plastic are poured into the ocean every year. (Eunomia, 2016)
- Plastics consistently make up 80% of all marine debris studied. (IUCN, 2020)
- There may now be around 5.25 trillion macro and microplastic pieces floating in the open ocean. Weighing up to 269,000 tonnes. (Eriksen, 2014)
- 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and 1 million sea birds are killed by marine plastic pollution annually. (UK Government, 2018)
- Approx 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK. (Marine Conservation Society, 2016)
- Producing one tonne of plastic generates up to 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide. (Material Economics, 2018)
- Plastic production has been forecast to grow by 60% by 2030 and to treble by 2050. (Center for International Environmental Law, 2019)
- Less than a third of all plastic in the UK is recycled. (PlasticsEurope, 2020)
- 63% of people want to reduce their consumption of plastic and 77% want the government to take more action to protect the ocean (Surfers against Sewage, May 2020).
Download resources
About the Campaign
Our 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:
- 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.
Download resources
The resources below will help you plan your knife crime sessions and help you navigate social media and other communications.
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
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 #youthvoice.
I’m a Member of Youth Parliament – Where can I find resources?
About the Campaign
Our England Only Campaign for 2019
As knife crime has continued to climb over the last few years, the UK Youth Parliament believes that this issue needed to be addressed. In the 2018 Make Your Mark ballot, over 196,000 young people aged 11-18 from across the UK voted to put an end to Knife Crime. Members of Youth Parliament respectively voted at the House of Commons to make this the England only campaign for 2019, to get young people and decision makers to take action against knife crime.
Campaign Aims:
We would like to see a significant reduction in knife crime across the UK – through:
- Raising awareness of the devastating effects of knife crime and how it affects people across the UK
- Exploring the multiple factors of knife crime, including mental health, education and youth services
- Gaining support from decision makers
- Preventing young people from carrying knives by creating platforms for young people to engage with the community
- Raising awareness of what young people can do to support the cause.
Actions
For the campaign to be as effective as possible, the UK Youth Parliament believes 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.
What’s been happening online?
You can follow the discussion through the hashtag #ActionAgainstKnifeCrime or by visiting our Facebook and Twitter.
Download resources
The resources below will help you plan your knife crime sessions and help you navigate social media and other communications.
Our England Only Campaign for 2018
Last year, over 130,674 young people voted for the need to have a Curriculum for Life as their most important issue. What does this mean? It means that young people are saying the education system needs to do a lot more to prepare them for life after school or college.
Campaign aims:
- To raise awareness of the importance of a curriculum for life for all young people.
- To help schools know what young people need from Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE).
- To keep young people at the heart of the changes being made to PSHE.
- Gain the support of decision makers on our calls for a curriculum that prepares us for life.
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 playground, it is essential that everyone engages in the conversation and takes action on the campaign.
We are calling for:
- We want PSHE to address all we need to actively participate in life. We want to know about finances, relationships and sex, the political system, cultural awareness and community cohesion, sustainable living and citizenship!
- We want our teachers to be trained so that they are empowered to deliver quality lessons.
- We want time set aside in our timetables, we do not want it to be a time filler or random lessons.
- We want it to be taught in all schools to all pupils. No matter where you live or the type of school a young person goes to, they should have a curriculum which prepares them for life.
Through the Children and Social Work Bill, Relationship and Sex education will be compulsory from September 2019. This is just the beginning. The Government plans to consult on giving the same status to Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. Change is coming!
What’s been happening online?
You can follow all the action on Twitter via #pshe4me.
Download resources
Campaign Briefing
Campaign Toolkit
Pledge Poster
About the Campaign
Our national campaign for 2017 – ‘Votes for 16 and 17 year olds in all public elections’
Over 978,000 young people voted in the UK Youth Parliaments Make your Mark ballot, with over 112,000 young people voting to make it one of their top five priority issues. In a subsequent vote in the House of Commons, Members of Youth Parliament voted to make this the national campaign UK Youth Parliament, along with the Votes at 16 Coalition, is campaigning for young people from the age of 16 to gain the right to vote in all public elections.
Why is this important?
16 and 17 year old 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 where by 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.
Our National Campaign for 2016 – ‘Working together to combat racism and religious discrimination’
Following over 95,000 young people voting to tackle racism and racial discrimination as a priority issue; and Members of Youth Parliament voting to make this the national campaign during the 2015 House of Commons Sitting, the UK Youth Parliament will be working in their communities to reduce racism and racial discrimination. Over the next year, the UK Youth Parliament will campaign to challenge negative attitudes around race and religion; work with others to educate their communities in order to tackle ignorance around race and religion; and promote integration in their communities.
Why is this important?
There has been an increase in race and religion related hate crimes across all the nations in the UK apart from Scotland; but young people agreed that one victim of this type of hate crime is one too many.
England and Wales race and religion related hate crimes in 2014-2015:
- 42,930 Race related hate crimes reported – 15% increase from the year before.
- 3,254 Religion related hate crimes reported – 43% increase from the year before.
(Source: Home Office)
Northern Ireland related race and religion related incidents and hate crimes in 2014-2015:
- 2,277 race related incidents and crimes reported – 36% increase from the year before.
- 80 religion related crimes and incidents reported – 116% increase from the year before.
(Source: Police Service of Northern Ireland)
Scotland race and religion related hate crimes in 2014-2015:
- 3,785 race related hate crimes reported – 9% decrease compared to the year before.
- 569 religiously aggravated crimes reported – 4% decrease from year before.
(Source: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service)
Actions
Young people believed that negative images in the media and ignorance were the main causes of racism and religious discrimination in their communities. They agreed that if these were not addressed, it would cause further segregation in society; would allow people to develop and hold discriminatory views; cause people to fear other groups that they may not understand and create tension in society.
What are we going to do about it?
- Change discriminatory attitudes of young people towards race and religion.
- Raise levels of understanding about different races and religions, communities and cultures.
- Challenge negative images of race and religion on social media.
- Promote diversity and inclusion within communities.
When are we releasing more details and getting started?
It has already begun! The campaign launched during our National Day of Action on Friday 22nd January 2016.
What’s been happening online?
You can follow all the action on Twitter via the hashtag #DontHateEducate
I’m a Member of Youth Parliament – where can I find resources?
Find everything you need for the campaign below:
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
- Session toolkit for use in schools remember you’ll also need preparing to meet your of Head of school