Young people from across Worcestershire are being invited to quiz their political peers during a summer roadshow.
The Worcestershire Youth Cabinet and members of the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) are heading out into the community to get to the bottom of the issues that really matter to the young people of worcestershire.
Young people will have the chance to questions their representatives during a variety of dedicated workshops taking place county-wide.
“Whether there’s something really bugging you, a cause you feel should be celebrated or if you simply want to find out how you can get more involved in local politics – we want to hear from you.”
”This is a really fantastic opportunity for young people across Worcestershire to get their voices heard. “
The Youth Cabinet at Work
Starting this month, the roadshow will run throughout August and into September, with the young politicians setting up shop at a variety of locations across Worcestershire.
Dates and Venues that are confimed so far:
30th July - Malvern Youth Centre 12pm - 2pm
4th August - Malvern National Play Day 12pm - 2pm
17th August Upton Library 11am - 1pm Cancelled
19th August Stourport Park Party 6.30pm - 8pm
To be confimed Droitwich Spa Zone 6pm - 8pm
24th August Evsham Abby Park6.30 - 8pm
26th August Malvern Library (time to be confimed)
6th September Westlands 7pm - 830pm
9th September Droitwich Youth House 6.30pm - 8.30 pm
Kidderminster Youth House- To be Confirmed
Rubery - To be confirmed
We will be adding more dates as and when we get them, so if you cant see one taking place in your area keep checking the webisite, or if you would like more information about any of these dates please feel free to ring Kirsty Fraser (01905 827489) who will be able to help with your question or query.
Two Members of the Youth Parliament (MYPs) from Worcestershire will be attending the UK Youth Parliament Annual Sitting in Belfast.
MYPs Elise Hollins, who represents Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest; Robert Reitz, who represents Redditch and Wychavon and Alex White, who represents Worcester District and is Chair of the Worcestershire Youth Cabinet.
The Annual Sitting, which takes place July 23-26 at Ulster University in Belfast, will see MYPs from across the UK come together to take part in workshops and debates, they will also look at developing the UK Youth Parliament’s campaigns for the year ahead and bringing the issues of local young people to a national stage. This will be the first time the Sitting has taken place in Northern Ireland.
Young people who would like to raise any issues they would like to be taken forward to the Annual Sitting should contact their MYP via Kirsty Fraser, Worcestershire County Council’s Youth Voice Development Worker, on 01905 827489, email kfraser@worcestershire.gov.uk or youthcabinet@worcestershire.gov.uk.
For more information about the Youth Parliament, visit www.ukyouthparliament.org.
Alex and Tayla from The Worcestershire Youth Cabinet took part in a live debate on national radio station BBC 5 Live. The event was presented Victoria Debryshire and attended by over 150 people, including Hilary Benn, Tony Write from Labour, Simon Huges from Lib Deb, Grant Shapps from the Conservatives and Keith Brown from SNP.
Alex and Taylor both raised the issues of lowering the legal voting from 18 to 16 and the fact education given to young people in the run up to them being able to vote is just good enough.They also talked about the MP’s expense scandals and how this may have affected trust in the government.
Tayla has been invited back to take part in a BBC Radio WM election debate taking place on Wednesday 14th April, this will be presented by Joanne Malin and attended Jacqui Smith MP, if anyone aged 11- 18 has any issues that they would like Tayla to voice at this event please contact her via the Worcestershire Youth Cabinet Website or email kfraser@worcestershire.gov.uk
If you would like to listen to the live debate please follow this link where the show will be avalible for a further 7 days
Three MYPs (members of youth parliament) were elected by young people aged 11 to 18 from across worcestershire who collectively cast 6,516 votes.
The result of the election was announced on Saturday 20th February in the Council Chamber , County Hall.
The new MYP for West Worcestershire – which includes Worcester, Malvern and Upton-upon-Severn – is 12-year-old Max Robinson, of Whitbourne, near Worcester, who beat three other candidates to the post.
“I stood so I could help the voices of young people be heard,” he said. “I am elated to have won.”
East Worcestershire’s (Redditch, Evsham, Persore, Droiwich) new MYP is Robert Rietz, aged 15, of Redditch.
He said: “I entered because I wanted to help out other people, and I’m really ecstatic about being an MYP.
“While I’m in office I hope to get cheaper car insurance for teenagers because a lot of my friends at school are complaining about it.”
Elise Hollins, 12, of Bromsgrove, won the North Worcestershire seat (Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest.
She hopes to raise the profile of her school and improve things in her community.
“I had the backing from my whole school,” she said.
“They are going to be so happy I won and I am over the moon.”
The new MYPs will now take their places on the Worcestershire Youth Cabinet as well as the work that they will be doing on a regional and national level with UK Youth Parliament.
Councillor Andy Roberts, Mayor of Worcester, who spoke at the event, said he thought it was important for the young people to be involved with schemes such as the UK Youth Parliament.
“Although we want them to have a childhood, we want them to understand the importance of local and national government has in their lives,” he said.
“They need to be realistic and know they need to work hard to achieve things, which this teaches them.”
More than 20 young people from Worcestershire are standing for election in the latest round of United Kingdom Youth Parliament (UKYP) elections.
A total of 21 young people, aged between 11 and 18, have written a manifesto for the elections, which will see votes being cast from January 25 until February 7.
The following three seats are up for grabs in the elections, which are being held in the county by the County Council’s Youth Support service:
• Four candidates - West Worcestershire (currently occupied by Alice Murphy from Worcester Sixth Form College).
• Eight candidates - East Worcestershire (currently occupied by Ario Bagheri from Droitwich Spa High School Sixth Form).
• Nine candidates - North Worcestershire (currently occupied by Ellen Cochrane from North Bromsgrove High School).
Councillor Liz Eyre, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (12-19 years), said: “We’re delighted with the positive response we’ve received for our recent call for candidates. The elections process is well and truly underway now and we are looking forward to seeing which young people are elected to represent their views and peers on a local, regional and national level next year.”
The results are set to be announced at County Hall on February 20.
UKYP was launched at the House of Commons in July 1999 and held its first setting in London in 2001. Each Local Education Authority (LEA) in England represents a UKYP constituency.
Once elected, MYPs work with their MPs, councillors, school and youth councils and peer group members on the issues of greatest concern to their constituents. It regularly brings together its MYPs at a regional level to organise campaigns, projects and events and identify common issues of concern.
On Friday 30th October Worcestershire Members of Youth Parliament have helped make history in the House of Commons, Ario and Alice travelled to Westminster and championed the causes that matter most to them, more than 300 Youth Parliament members debated issues including:
Youth Cabinet Meeting 26th August.
An idea for the Youth Cabinet to split into smaller groups based on the areas covered in the Worcestershire Youth Manifesto was proposed. The various sub-groups are: Move On, Voice & Society Be Healthy, Enjoy & Achieve, Stay Safe, Publicity and Policy.
Vote For Chair, Vice Chair & Secretary In Previous meetings it was decided that we should have roles. These would be the Chair who would manage the agenda and lead meetings, Vice Chair who would assist the chair, and the Secretary who would make notes during meetings, help set agendas and send out information to the Youth cabinet. Voting took place to elect people to these roles: Alex White was elected as Chairperson, Jordan Merry was elected and Vice Chair and Jasmin Quelch was elected as Secretary.
Guest Speakers We had the leader of the Council & Chairman of the Cabinet Dr George Lord join us for a short time during our meeting to explain to what he does and what the county council are responsible. Liz Eyre Cabinet Member for Children & Young People(12-19 years) and Marcus Hart Cabinet Member for Children and Young People ( 0-11 years), spoke to us about the roles within the Cabinet and Liz Eyre also discussed with use how we could get involve in looking at the Forward Plans
Anti Bullying Hannah Cridford the Anti Bullying co-ordinator told us about the work she does in schools. She is working on a model policy to tackle bullying in schools, and asked for the Cabinet to feed back on the policy. We were also invited to take part in the interviews for the new post of Anti Bullying Mentoring co-ordinator.
Since this meeting some of us have taken part in putting together interview questions for this post and taken part in the interview process.
Worcestershire UK Youth Parliament members to debate issues
Members of the Worcestershire’s UK Youth Parliament are clearing their throats ready for their live televised debate when they will be discussing issues volunteered by some of the county’s youngsters.
On Friday, October 30, Worcestershire’s elected Members of the UK Youth Parliament (MYPs) will make history when they sit on the green benches in the House of Commons and debate the issues that matter to young people from across the UK.
Over the last couple of months young Worcestershire residents have been asked to put forward their ideas for what the elected members should debate, with every issue added to a debate list and then voted for.
The debate has been organised by United Kingdom Youth Parliament and supported locally by Worcestershire County Council, the Participation and Engagement Team and Youth Support.
The event is being televised live by The BBC and so will see those issues proposed by the county’s youngsters beamed around the world.
Cllr Liz Eyre, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (aged 12-19 years), said: “What a fantastic opportunity this will be for our young people to have their say, improve their debating skills and show just how capable and able they are to make a positive contribution within society. Worcestershire residents should be so proud that they are representing us at such a prestigious event.”
Kirsty Fraser, Worcestershire County Council’s Youth Voice Development Worker, said: “This will be a great event which will really help put Worcestershire young peoples’ views and ideas on the agenda. The members will be passionately debating issues raised by their contemporaries around the county and I’m sure will represent Worcestershire with distinction on the day.”
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) aims to give young people a voice that is heard and listened to by local and national government and many other services and agencies that are interested in the views of young people.
Members of the Youth Parliament (MYPs) work extremely hard to ensure young people’s voices are heard by some of the most important politicians and decision makers in the country.
There are 3 places (constituencies) for MYPs to represent the young people of Worcestershire.
> What It’s Like To Be A Member Of the UK Youth Parliament
Over the past few years, the MYPs have achieved many things, including:
Representing young people across the UK on a national and global level.
Giving young people’s opinions on every topic affecting them to decision makers, members of the Government and the media.
Actively campaigning to achieve outcomes for young people across the country.
Inputting into the UKYP Manifesto.
Having the opportunity to liaise with decision makers such as the Commonwealth and the National Youth Agency on specific issues.
Being invited to the House of Commons and House of Lords to debate issues.
Regularly linking up with the West Midlands regional MYPs.
Attending the UKYP Annual sitting, where the full Parliament meets and brainstorms all topics (2010 will be Northern Ireland)
Attending the West Midlands regional annual residential.
Creating films, leaflets and publications on different campaigns that are distributed across the country.
Being part of one of the most exciting opportunities available to young people who want to get their voices heard.
You need to send in a Nomination Form by 19th October. This form can be downloaded here**, or you can get them from our office by calling 01905 827489
You will then be invited to attend your Local Candidate Meetings in November, where you will have the opportunity to find out more information, decide if you would definitely like to stand, and have the opportunity to prepare your own brief statement (or manifesto) saying why people should vote for you.
The elections will take place in January, and there will be the announcement of results on Saturday 20th February at a special announcement event.
** Please note that the nomination form is a PDF file and requires Adobe Reader to open it. Click here to download Adobe Reader or call 01905 827489 to pick up a printed version
Be able to get involved in the Youth Cabinet sub-groups; Publicity and Policy.
Go on an annual residential and other trips and socials.
Be able to get involved in other projects and various opportunities.
Attend Youth Cabinet meetings
Take on an active role in your local District Youth Forum.
Meet with Councillors and others to promote the views of young people.
You are not expected to attend every single meeting, but it is important that you get as involved as you can. Personal circumstances are taken into account and support, training and transport are all provided.
- Why would I want to be a Member of Youth Parliament?
Being a Member of Youth Parliament is a great opportunity to have your say and make a difference for all young people in Worcestershire and beyond. Through this there will be opportunities for you to gain new skills and experiences, along with a chance to learn about how decisions are made and how you are able to influence this. You will also get to meet new people, make friends and hopefully have a lot of fun.
- How do I know if I’m the right person for the UKYP?
Anyone between the ages of 11-18 is the right person for these opportunities. Other than that, we have no specifications! Having a passion about giving young people a say is useful, but you don’t need any certain skills, qualifications or experience at all.
- Will I get any help?
Support will be provided for the whole time you are involved with the UKYP, both from the Participation & Engagement Team and local District Support Workers.
- When are the meetings?
Meetings tend to be held in the evenings although some activities take place at the weekends or during school holidays. Occasionally opportunities arise during the day in term time – we try to keep these to a minimum and always seek permission from both parents and schools.
- How do I get to meetings?
If you need transport to get to a meeting then we can arrange this for you with one of our approved taxi firms, or if you are able to use public transport then we will refund the cost of this for you.
- I’m interested but I’m worried that there will be too many meetings. Will it be boring?
No, it won’t be boring. It is true that often we do have meetings to achieve certain goals, talk about issues and do a bit of work, but if we didn’t do that nothing would ever get done! However, we do spend a surprising amount of time playing games and doing activities. We try to make sure that we achieve a balance between the serious stuff that makes the changes happen, and the more light hearted stuff too!
- Will it cost me anything?
Members Youth Parliament don’t get paid, but it shouldn’t cost anything to be involved and we will cover any expenses incurred or ensure that you have access to everything required for the role.
- What if there is something specific I know I would like to do if I get elected?
Lots of people join with a specific issue they would like to tackle, or something specific they would like to try and change. We will make every effort to help you with whatever it is you want to achieve - just tell us about it and we will see if we can sort something out!
- What if I don’t want to be a Member of Youth Parliament anymore?
If you get elected but later decide that you don’t want to be part of UKYP any more then we would ask you to speak to us about this so we can discuss why you’ve made this decision and if there is anything we can do to help. However, young people choose to be an MYP and you will not be made to stay on the group if you don’t wish to any more.
- What happens if I don’t get elected?
There are so many opportunities to get involved in, Anyone can join their local Youth Forum without having an election. We also run other projects that we would welcome any young people onto, and we can give you details of these other opportunities when necessary!
- I have more questions. What should I do to get them answered?
We are hoping to answer most questions at the Candidate Information Days. If you can’t wait till then, or just want a chat anyway, feel free to get hold of us via the contact details on this site. We will be happy to talk to you!
This year we had a record number of young people put themselves forward as candidates for the Youth Cabinet & UK Youth Parliament (UKYP). 15 places were available on the Youth Cabinet and 3 places for the UKYP.
The elections took place between the 26th January – 6th February, and will probably be memorable for a lot of you as it was when all the schools closed due to the snow.
This of course was not great for us as some of you didn’t get to vote, as reflected in our turn out figures which were down on last years.
But we have cunning plans for next year, and we will be extending the voting period, it can’t possibly snow for three weeks???(famous last words) and we are looking into the possibility of electronic voting. We will not be defeated.
The announcement of the successful candidates took place in the Council Chambers at County Hall on the 28th February. To find out who represents you in your District go to Meet the Cabinet
New candidates were welcomed onto the Youth Cabinet and UKYP by Councillor Liz Eyre,and outgoing members were presented with tokens of thanks for their hard work over the past two years- we will miss them all.
