Opinion: Youth Councils and Young William Hagues

The current spat about the national and ethnic composition of the UK Youth Parliament, whatever the grounded legitimacy of the issue, is but one case in point (YPN, 16-22 June, p4).

On the other hand, I have come to respect deeply the work of the European Youth Forum, even if it is the ground that fertilises future national and European politicians, who often quickly forget where they came from.

Despite the caveats, it is important to remember how far the youth participation agenda has come in a relatively short time. Consultation with young people is now quite strongly embedded in local practice, with youth forums and youth councils springing up all over the place. Less than a decade ago, it was still in a very embryonic form and much credit must go to Save the Children, the Children's Rights Alliance for England and the Carnegie Young People Initiative for pioneering the framework.