Call for young people to decide youth parliament debate topics
Adam Offord
Friday, August 14, 2015
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is calling for young people to give their views on topics that should be discussed at its annual debate.
Young people aged between 11 and 18 will have their chance to nominate issues for discussion as part of the Make Your Mark ballot.
Among the issues up for public vote are mental health, funding for youth services, votes at 16, tackling racism, austerity and child poverty.
Last year saw more than 875,000 young people across the UK cast their votes on selected issues, with the British Youth Council, which manages the UKYP, suggesting the Scottish independence referendum caused a surge in interest.
This year the campaign aims to set a new record of one million young public voters, with young people able to cast their votes on 10 policies that address issues facing young people.
Members of youth parliament debate the issues in parliament later this year before voting on what should become their priority campaign for 2015/16.
Minhaz Abedin, MYP for Leeds said: “This is a huge opportunity for young people to have their voice heard.
“For too long politicians have ignored the voice of young people but now we have a platform they can’t ignore.
“The more voices we canvas and listen to, the harder it’ll be for anyone to ignore us.”
The ballot closes on Friday 9 October.
