Young people from Leeds will join their peers from around the country, as the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) debate in the House of Commons later this month.
Over 300 young people from across the country are set to debate in the House of Commons chamber on Friday 29th October. Members of UKYP, aged 11-18, will debate issues including the cost of university fees, sex education in schools and war.
Al Berry (15), Emma Chadwick (16), Poppy Johnson (16) and Poppy-Jo Lumley (17), all from Leeds, are Members of UKYP, as well as serving on Leeds Youth Council. Sonia Sanghera (18), also from Leeds, serves as a Regional Procedure & Guidance Officer for UKYP and will be part of the team planning the event.
Emma Chadwick, who attends Bruntcliffe High School in Morley, has been granted the additional honour of being selected out of hundreds of applicants to lead the debate on war. She said, “I’m totally thrilled to be selected as a debate lead”, calling it “an honour and a privilege”.
Following on from the success of the debate in the House of Commons last year, MPs voted by a majority of 499 to 21, to allow the event to happen annually for the life of this Parliament.
This comes on the back of a successful four day conference, organised by UKYP in July. Members of Youth Parliament attended The Assembly Hall in Stormont this summer, as part of the UKYP annual sitting in Belfast. They were given an exclusive tour of the Parliament Buildings and the city of Belfast as part of the sitting and were addressed by Stormont Deputy Speaker, Francie Molloy. The event made the pages of the Belfast Telegraph.
Peter Broderick, Project Worker at The Youth Association, who’ll be supporting young people at the House of Commons said, “It’s really inspiring to see young people engaging in politics in this way, taking time out of their busy lives and showing such passion to change things for themselves and other young people in their communities”.
Members of Youth Parliament outside the Stormont Assembly, with Deputy Speaker Francie Molloy
For further information CONTACT
Peter Broderick, the Youth Association Project Worker on:
Tel: 0113 3070905
Email: peter.broderick@youth-association.org
