Youth parliament comes of age

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) celebrated its 20th anniversary on 20 February, but one of the original architects of the initiative says more must be done to ensure it thrives and grows in the future.

The UKYP came into existence in 2001, but its journey began in 1991 when Kate Parish was elected as a parish councillor in Hampshire aged 21. Parish set up a youth council and began touring England supporting other parish and town councils to set up youth councils while juggling her job as a secretary. “From there, people said we needed a youth parliament to talk about key issues for young people,” she recalls.

Making the case

With the support of the NSPCC, Parish researched and wrote a paper in 1997 putting forward the case for the UKYP and a 10-minute rule bill calling for a youth parliament was introduced the same year by Conservative MP Andrew Rowe.

Despite the change in government that year, Rowe continued to lobby for a youth parliament and in 2000 this paid off when then Education Secretary David Blunkett approved the first sitting of the UKYP.

Since then, more than 8,000 young people have been elected by peers to represent their local authority area as members of the youth parliament (MYPs) and participate in the annual UKYP debate at the House of Commons in November. At this, MYPs discuss key issues peers have selected for debate and vote on which one to adopt as a campaign.

Parish says an indication of the success of the scheme is that councils have continued to be involved in the youth parliament scheme despite deep cuts in spending on services for young people over the past decade. However, she says they could do more to give young people an active say in local decision making.

“The criticism I often hear from local authorities is that nothing ever changes [from young people being involved in youth councils],” says Parish. “They need to ask ‘why is that the case?’ You can’t just have a children in care council and say ‘we’ve heard you’ but then do nothing – you have to act on what young people say.”

To make change happen, support needs to be focused on empowering young people to challenge councils over inaction and decisions, she says.

“Qualified youth workers are able to support this type of work,” she adds. “Holding decision makers to account is where the youth parliament and youth councils should come to the fore.” She highlighted the young inspectors pilot programme run by the Department for Culture Media and Sport as a positive move but adds: “What is going to happen to these youth inspections afterwards?”

Parish also says the UKYP needs more government funding to “run campaigns and do research” into key youth issues so that “young people can take that evidence and present it to government”.

“In five years’ time I’d hope the government will fund the UKYP effectively,” she adds. In the meantime, she is helping to launch the Friends of UKYP, an alumni network that will raise funds and support the work of current MYPs.

“There’s never been any money to fund the parliament at grass roots level but if every former MYP gave £1 a month it would generate enough to fund campaigns, bursaries and transport costs,” Parish adds.

Career paths

MYPs have gone on to forge careers in the law, public services and business, and the Friends of UKYP also aims to “record their stories about where they came from, why they got involved and what it led on to” explains Parish (see case study). She adds that MYPs come from all kinds of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, while around half are girls and young women.

“Young people may not realise the impact that being involved had on them until years later,” she says. “They may not be in the position they are in now without the youth parliament experience. The initiative is all about improving social mobility.

“It’s often said youth work doesn’t evidence its success – well, this is how we can prove the outcome and success of the UKYP.”

CASE STUDY
‘THE SKILLS I GAINED SET ME UP FOR SUCCESS’

Abisola Barber reflects on the impact of the UK Youth Parliament:

As the UK Youth Parliament celebrates 20 years from its first sitting, I am humbled and amazed at the great impact this formidable organisation has had on me.

Anyone who has been involved in UKYP will have a story to tell, a memory to share – from debating at the House of Lords and Commons, to Circles of Influence at the British Museum, to those infamous Annual Sitting evening parties; and what unites us all is our passion for change.

I didn’t know much about UKYP before I joined, but I knew I wanted to make a difference. Aged 11, armed with nothing more than an information pamphlet and an open mind, I began my six-year journey with UKYP; little did I know, that would be the catalyst to my confidence, leadership skills and overall career for years to come.

Now 18 years later and a vice president at a global investment bank, I am able to appreciate the contribution UKYP has made to who and where I am.

The friends I have made will remain, and the skills I gained set me up for success. Most importantly, the positive impact we all made provides a daily reminder of what young people can achieve with the right tools, support and encouragement.

• More from Info@friendsofukyp.org.uk