Youth parliament takes on Westminster
Youth parliament takes on Westminster
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Friday, 30, Oct 2009 11:18
By Sarah Garrod.
History is set to be made today when the youth parliament hosts a series of debates in the House of Commons chamber for the very first time.
The historic move will see 300 young people, aged 11-18, debate issues concerning the youth of Britain today.
The event marks the first time anyone other than MPs have debated in the Commons, and will see the members of the youth parliament (MYPs) deciding on what campaigns they will run over the next year.
A live blog will be running throughout the session, which will start at 11:00 GMT and finish at 15:30 GMT. The five issues which will be covered are: Lowering the voting age to 16, youth crime and how to tackle it, public transport for young people, jobs for young people and the economy and university fees.
Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, said: "I am delighted to welcome the youth parliament delegates to the House.
"This is an historic moment and one which I hope will show young people that the House of Commons, and the work that goes on here, is relevant to their lives."
The UK youth parliament has 600 elected MYPs aged 11-18; elected in annual youth elections throughout the UK. Any young person aged 11-18 can stand or vote, and in the past two years one million young people have voted in UK youth parliament elections.
Charity Mhende, 16, MYP Solihull, said: "It is an outstanding example of how democracy among young people is alive and kicking."
Messages of support have flooded in for the MYPs, with the prime minister Gordon Brown, saying: "At a time when we are having to rebuild trust in politicians and sweep away many of the practices and systems of the past, this very special session of the youth parliament will be a symbol of the politics we should all strive for - politics that bring people together to work for what is best for us all."
While former deputy prime minister John Prescott has shown he is 'down with the kids' by tweeting the MYPs a message: "Good luck to everyone from UK Youth Parliament @ukyp at House of Commons. My advice is be yourself, speak from the heart & enjoy it #ukyphoc"