The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, consisting

of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18.[3]

Formed in 2000, the parliament now consists of around 600 members, who are elected to
represent the views of young people in their area to government and service providers. Over
500,000 young people vote in the elections each year, which are held in at least 90% of
constituencies. It is currently managed by the British Youth Council

Members meet regularly to hold debates and plan campaigns, at venues including the British
Museum, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Young people hold important
positions throughout the organisation's management, and it has been endorsed by the leaders of
all three main political parties.

Contents
 1 Formation
 2 Composition
o 2.1 Membership
o 2.2 Elections
 3 Meetings
o 3.1 Annual Sitting
o 3.2 Circles of Influence
o 3.3 House of Lords debates
o 3.4 House of Commons debates
 3.4.1 2007-2009
 3.4.2 2010
 3.4.3 2011
 4 Regional
 5 Campaigns
 6 Organisation
o 6.1 Governance
 6.1.1 Procedures Group
 6.1.2 Management and Support
 7 Reception
o 7.1 Praise
o 7.2 Criticism
 8 See also
 9 References
 10 External links

Formation
The concept of a United Kingdom Youth Parliament first arose at an event in Coventry entitled
"Heirs To The Millennium".[4] After the event, the MP Andrew Rowe along with the NSPCC and
youth worker Kate Parish began to develop a proposal for the youth advocacy group. In 1998, a
steering group was formed, consisting of Andrew Rowe and various young people.

In 2000, Malcolm Wicks, Department for Education and Employment, agreed to employ a
member of staff who would work full time on developing the UK Youth Parliament alongside
Kate Parish. Soon after, the first elections for the UK Youth Parliament were held, with the first
Annual Sitting being held in February 2000.

Composition
Membership

Main article: Member of Youth Parliament

A Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) represents the views and needs of all young people in
their area to government, service providers and decision makers locally, regionally and
nationally. A Deputy Member of Youth Parliament is elected for each MYP position. Deputies
work with and support their Member of Youth Parliament locally and regionally, but are not
entitled to attend the Annual Sitting or other national events - unless their MYP is unable to.

There are currently over 600 Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs), including deputies
(DMYPs).

Elections

The UK Youth Parliament elections are held every two years, with all young people between the
ages of 11-18 being entitled to vote. In England, 90% of the Local Education Authorities
currently hold UKYP elections - however, criticism has been raised concerning allegations that
teachers in schools where the elections take place will sometimes tell students to vote for their
own school's candidate instead of allowing them to choose the candidate they prefer. Young
people elect their local area's Member(s) of Youth Parliament (MYPs), who provide a voice for
the young people in their area. The number of MYP positions is proportionate to the population
of young people in the authority.

Over 1,000,000 votes were cast in the elections between 2006 and 2009. In 2008, 565,802 young
people voted, with 1,625 standing as candidates from across England, Wales, and Northern
Ireland.[5]

Outside of England, partner organisations undertake the elections; in Scotland, elections are held
every two years for young people to elect their local Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament
(MSYP). The Scottish Youth Parliament then internally appoints sixteen of their members to
represent the nation as their Members of the UK Youth Parliament which means that Scottish
MYPs hold a dual mandate as both a MYP and a MSYP. In Wales a similar system is used by
the Children and Young People's Assembly for Wales, and in Northern Ireland by the Northern
Ireland Youth Forum.

Meetings
Annual Sitting

Members of Youth Parliament in session at the 2009 Annual Sitting

The Annual Sitting is the parliament's main yearly meeting, which all MYPs attend.[6] It takes
place on a university campus over three days. Proceedings include keynote speeches from
political figures, followed by question and answer sessions. Past speakers include Hazel Blears,
Ben Bradshaw, and Des Browne. MYPs also hold debates on topical issues, undertake training in
campaigning, democracy and leadership, and consult with outside organisations such as the
Ministry of Justice, BBC Trust and Department for Transport.

At each Annual Sitting, a manifesto is created, in which MYPs aim to fully represent the issues
that affect their constituents in a single document. Policies are developed based on seven key
areas: Culture, Media & Sport, Education & Employment, Empowering Young People, Health,
International Matters, Law & Society, and Transport, Environment and Rural Affairs. This
manifesto is then presented to government as a current overview of young peoples’ views.

The 9th Annual Sitting was held at the University of Kent from Friday 24 July to Monday 27
July 2009. Keynote speakers included John Bercow MP and the Archbishop of Canterbury.[7]
The keynote speakers were:

 John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons

 Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students
 Jonathan Shaw, Minister for the South East
 Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury

UKYP held its 11th Annual Sitting in 2011 at the University of Leeds from Friday 22 July to
Sunday 24 July. UKYP were joined by the following speakers:

 John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons

 Iby Knell, A Holocaust Survivor
  Natascha Engel, Chair of the Backbench Business Committee
 Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Children & Families
 Maggie Atkinson, Children's Commissioner
 Chris Williamson, Labour politician
 Liam Burns, NUS President
 Susan Nash, Chair of Young Labour
 Ben Howlett, Chairman of Conservative Future

The UKYP Annual Sitting 2012 took place at the University of Nottingham over the weekend of
27-29 July.

Circles of Influence

The annual Circles of Influence aims to focus on key youth issues, by engaging government
departments, public organisations and young people in an exciting debate format. It involves
around 200 Members of Youth Parliament holding discussions seated in a circular shape.

The event was first held in 2006, and takes place at the British Museum. It has focused on topics
including talent, leadership, and intergenerational relations. Attendees have included Tessa
Jowell, Lord Taylor and Harriet Harman.

House of Lords debates

In May 2008, the UKYP was granted permission to hold a debate between over 300 MYPs in the
House of Lords,[8] making it one of only two organisations to ever use the venue for non-
Parliamentary proceedings, the other being the English Speaking Union for their Internation
Mace Final on May 12, 2007.[9][10] The event was chaired by the Lord Speaker Baroness Hayman
and was broadcast on BBC Parliament.

The debates held were:

 Recycling and the environment

 National transport concession for young people
 Abolish university tuition fees
 Fair representation of young people in the media
 Lowering the voting age to 16
 Single age of adulthood

House of Commons debates

2007-2009

Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested that members of the UK Youth Parliament could have
annual access to the House of Commons chamber in 2007,[11] but this did not come about until
March 2009, when a motion was passed[12] to allow the UK Youth Parliament to use the House of
Commons for that year's annual meeting. However, a Conservative Member of Parliament
objected, which forced a vote to be taken on the issue, also employing a procedure called "I spy
strangers" (historically used to expel disruptive spectators, but now mostly to disrupt the House's
business[13]) to take business in the House beyond 7pm and stifle any possible debate on the
issue. On 12 March, a second debate was held in the House of Commons with a vote set to be
taken four days later.[14][15]

On 16 March 2009, 189 Members of Parliament voted to allow the UK Youth Parliament to
debate in the House of Commons, with 16 votes of opposition by Conservative backbenchers. It
was the first time in history that the House of Commons chamber was used by a group other than
MPs.[16]

An online vote was held from July to determine the debate topics, which were:

 Abolish university tuition fees

 Youth crime and how to tackle it
 Free transport for over 60s, but not for young people
 Capitalism, the economy and job opportunities for young people
 Lowering the voting age to 16

At 16, we can

“ marry our MP, we

can sleep with our
MP and we can
have children with
our MP. We can
sign up in
preparation for
fighting and
potentially dying
for our MP. And
suddenly we are
not mature enough

”
to vote for them.
What an absolute
disgrace!

—James Evans MYP,

Parliamentary Debates, House of
Commons, 30 October 2009, column
33.

The debates took place in the House of Commons chamber on Friday 30 October 2009, from
11am to 3:30pm. The session was recorded in Hansard, and the morning debates were broadcast
on BBC Parliament the same day. The final two debates were televised later in the week.
The debates were chaired by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, who closed the
event with a dramatic speech to MYPs in which he described the British National Party as "a
poison which we could well do without".[17] The Speaker is usually expected to remain impartial,
so as not to compromise his authority, but in this case was able to express personal opinion
because the ornamental mace that indicates Parliament is sitting was not in place.[18]

2010

In 2010 a debate was held to disuses the possibility of the youth parliament returning for a
second sitting. This resulted in the decision to allow their return not only for that year, but every
year for the remainder of the sitting of the current parliament.

2011

In 2011, once again the Members of Youth Parliament will debated in the House of Commons
this time having five topics chosen by over 65,000 young people. The event was chaired by John
Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, after his persistence in supporting the youth
parliament. The sitting was broadcast on BBC Parliament but this time live from 11am-4pm.

Regional
Members of Youth Parliament in England are split into nine geographical regions, which meet
and work together regularly: London, East Midlands, West Midlands, South West, South East,
North West, North East, Yorkshire & Humberside, East of England.

Regional meetings take place roughly every six weeks, and last around a day. Members share
news, issues and resources, in addition to taking part in training to help them in their role.

Campaigns
The UK Youth Parliament launched the 'Make Your Mark' ballot in 2011. The purpose of the
ballot to get young people from across the UK to determine which five topics the UK Youth
Parliament would debate within the House of Commons. Over 65,000 young people completed
the ballot after several months of campaigning.

The five issues being debated in the House of Commons chamber are -

1. ‘Make public transport cheaper, better and accessible for all’

2. ‘No to tuition fees, yes to graduate tax’
3. ‘Zero tolerance towards bullying in schools’
4. ‘End child poverty’
5. ‘A Greener future for Britain’
On 4 November 2011 Members of Youth Parliament came from across the UK to debate and
vote at House of Commons the most important issue to campaign on in 2012. The winning
campaign topic was Make public transport cheaper, better and accessible for all.

Organisation
Governance

Procedures Group

Decisions regarding the development and progression of the organisation is undertaken by the
Procedures Group, made up of two MYPs elected from each region and nation (known as
"PGs"), for an 18-month term. Their main focus is "key decisions relating to the membership and
the programme of work, within the given strategic boundaries".[19]

They meet a minimum of four times a year to represent their regions nationally, coordinate
campaign efforts and organise events such as the Annual Sitting. Reports are taken back to
MYPs at their regional meetings.

There are currently 10 members of the Procedures Group. These are Natalie Smith, Siobhan
Brasier, Samantha Parkes, Rhammel Afflick, Joe Reason, Graham Findlay, Reece Connelly,
Nadirur Choudhury Shona Morrison and Jayde Tunnacliffe.[20]

Management and Support

The British Youth Council currently manages the UK Youth Parliament after the charity that had
run it, Democracy for Young People Ltd, closed down due to lack of funding.

The British Youth Council recently won a bid, granted by the Department for Education to lead a
national Youth Voice Service. Youth Voice will support young people in influencing local and
national Government decision making in England, and provide continued support for the UK
Youth Parliament.

The corporate and administrative governance is overseen by the Board of Trustees of the British
Youth Council.
Reception
Praise

The organisation has been endorsed by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Conservative
Party Leader and British Prime Minister David Cameron and Liberal Democrat Party Leader and
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.[21] In 2009, Brown described the UK Youth Parliament as "a
symbol of the politics we should all strive for - politics that bring people together to work for
what is best for us all."[22]

In 2006, the organisation's Head of Programmes Kate Parish was given a National Council for
Voluntary Youth Services Award, for her "commendable dedication to the development of UK
Youth Parliament".[23]

In 2008, the UK Youth Parliament was given the Positive Images award by the Children &
Young People Now magazine for exposing young people’s experiences of the current levels of
sex and relationships education in a high profile publicity campaign.[24] In 2009, the organisation
also received a Brook special achievement award for this campaign.[25]

Criticism

The organisation has been described by Daily Mail columnist Tom Utley as "sublimely fatuous",
[26]
after MYPs co-signed an open letter with public figures including Davina McCall and Polly
Toynbee to The Times. The letter protested against the lack of sufficient sex and relationships
education in schools, and that the UK Youth Parliament believe that this has led to increasing
teenage pregnancy. Utley argues that there is already far too much sex education, and that
increasing it would only lead to more underage sex.

A study by the University of Colorado found that youth participation organisations in the UK,
including the UK Youth Parliament, needed to "tackle the unintentional practice of tokenism".
The paper concludes that "failing to act upon [young people's] opinions or take them very
seriously" once they are identified is often a cause of frustration amongst participants.[27]

A 2004 report commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills was critical of UKYP's
relationship with the devolved nations, suggesting that it was acting more as an English Youth
Parliament. The report noted issues with language for some Welsh representatives, and that it
was often difficult for MYPs not near to London to get to meetings with government ministers. It
also advocated stronger regional groups, and improvements to ensuring engagement with
government is followed up later to assess the impact.[28]

See also
 Youth politics
References
1. ^ "Youth Parliament: House of Commons debates, 9 June 1998, 3:34 pm".
Hansard. UK Parliament. 9 June 1998. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
2. ^ "UK Youth Parliament: Contact Us". Retrieved 2011-02-21.
3. ^ "How to become an MYP". UK Youth Parliament. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
4. ^ "History". UK Youth Parliament. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
5. ^ "Debatable Issue 7" (PDF). UK Youth Parliament. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
6. ^ "About Us". UK Youth Parliament. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
7. ^ "Kent hosts national UK Youth Parliament summit". Children & Young People
Now. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
8. ^ "UK Youth Parliament at Westminster". Parliament.uk (Parliament of the
United Kingdom). May 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2008.[dead link]
9. ^ "Youth Parliament debate in Lords". BBC News. 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2009-
03-16.
10. ^ "Young People Set to Storm House of Lords". UK Youth Parliament. 2008-02-
06. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
11. ^ "Gordon Brown calls for greater role for the UK Youth Parliament in
constitutional reform". UK Youth Parliament. 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
12. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (17 March 2009). "Smells like teen spirit: youths to sit in the
Commons". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
13. ^ "TheyWorkForYou.com glossary: I Spy Strangers". Retrieved 18 March 2009.
14. ^ "Sharon Hodgson MP slams Tory ‘dinosaurs’ over UK Youth Parliament
debate". Politics.co.uk. 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2009-03-16.[dead link]
15. ^ "House of Commons debates". TheyWorkForYou.com. 2009-03-12. Retrieved
2009-03-16.
16. ^ "Youth to meet in Commons chamber". BBC News. 2009-03-16. Retrieved
2009-03-17.
17. ^ "Speaker attacks 'poison' of BNP". BBC News. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 28
February 2010.
18. ^ Savage, Michael (31 October 2009). "Bercow breaks convention to attack
BNP". The Independent. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
19. ^ "Democracy for Young People Accounts 31 Mar 2008". Charity Commission.
pp. 4. Retrieved 2009-11-03.[dead link]
20. ^ "Procedures Group". UK Youth Parliament.
21. ^ "UK Youth Parliament". ePoliticx. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
22. ^ "Youth Parliament takes over Commons". 10 Downing Street. 30 October 2009.
Retrieved 2009-11-03.
23. ^ "Voluntary Youth Organisations debate key issues around faith and young
people in society at the NCVYS annual conference". National Council for Voluntary
Youth Services. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
24. ^ "UK Youth Parliament Scoops Another Award!". UK Youth Parliament. 2009-
03-16. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
25. ^ "UK Youth Parliament wins Brook special achievement award for SRE
campaign!". UK Youth Parliament. 2009-05-01. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
26. ^ Utley, Tom (6 December 2007). "Lack of sex education is not the problem".
Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers). Retrieved 14 November 2008.
27. ^ Middleton, Emily (2006). "Youth Participation in the UK: Bureaucratic Disaster
or Triumph of Child Rights?" (PDF). Children, Youth and Environments 16(2): 11.
Retrieved 2008-11-14.
28. ^ "Review of the UK Youth Parliament" (PDF). Final Report May 2004. Office
of Public Management. May 2004. pp. 184. Retrieved 2008-11-14.