Get involved in politics

The UK Youth Parliament was founded by Andrew Rowe, who believed passionately that young people in the UK should be given a way to get involved in politics.

Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) are elected annually in all regions of the UK. They are young people who want to get involved in politics, meet with MPs and organise their own events and campaigns.

Any young person aged from 11 to 18, who is also a resident of the UK, has the right to stand for election as an MYP, and the right to vote for their own MYP.

Being a MYP will develop your

• communication skills
• public speaking skills
• knowledge of politics and current affairs
• ability to look at an issue from someone else’s perspective
• debating skills
• teamwork skills
• leadership skills
• organisational skills
• negotiating skills

Kyle Simms, the MYP for Dudley, West Midlands said, “Being a UK MYP has allowed me to really open up in terms of confidence and self-esteem and this has meant I could achieve things I would never have even considered, such as speaking in the House of Commons last November. I have built strong connections with people nationwide and worked closely with them on national campaigns, allowing me to also network with important decision makers both nationally and locally, which is great.”

Make your Mark, the UK Youth Parliament’s annual ballot – the largest youth consultation of its kind in the UK – was launched in August 2014, giving young people a say in what issues will be debated by their MYPs in the House of Commons on November 14th this year.

If you are eligible, you can vote in this ballot from now until October 10th. Chosen from elected MYPs’ manifestos and made up of the views of young people, the ten topics to be discussed are:

• Votes for 16 year-olds
• Fund our youth services, don’t cut them
• A curriculum to prepare us for life
• Mental health services should be improved with our help
• Work experience
• Bring back exam resits in maths and English in English schools
• Young people should be directly involved in making laws
• Everyone should be paid at least the living wage of £7.65 per hour (£8.80 in London)
• Give young people a voice in improving their communities
• Euthanasia