22.12.2008
2008 has been another amazing year for the UK Youth Parliament. In this special news item, we highlight some of the successes of the past 12 months:
- Nearly 600,000 young people voted in UKYP elections in 2008, a massive increase from 2007 (read more)
- MYPs achieved fantastic campaign success, ensuring Sex and Relationships Education was made a statutory part of education provision (read more)
- MYPs made history (and actually make some youth workers cry – in a good way!) by taking over the House of Lords chamber for a series of brilliant (and heated!) debates (watch the debates)
- UKYP received massive press coverage. Over 1,500 articles highlighted the positive work of MYPs in local, regional and national press
- UKYP worked with BT to deliver a range of activity, including the ever-successful Seen and Heard Awards, which highlights an amazing collection of inspirational stories of young people making a difference in their communities (read more)
- UKYP worked with MWH to deliver the first ever series of awards solely for MYPs and Deputy MYPs (read more)
- UKYP worked with www.votivation.com to encourage young people to debate issues online
- MYPs organised two groundbreaking conferences to discuss terrorism and violent extremism. Seven more regional conferences will follow in the New Year (read more about Project Safe Space)
- MYPs organised a range of regional participation events focusing on anything from gun and knife crime to environmental issues to transport
- UKYP initiated an Electoral Commission outreach project to provide all of our democracy partners with tools to help them work better with young people not in formal education
- Over 400 young people, youth workers and decsion makers attened UKYP's 8th Annual Sitting at Exeter University to develop campaigns and create a new manifesto (read more)
- Over 200 young people attened the fourth Circles of Influence at the British Museum, to discuss how to make a difference in their communities (read more)
- UKYP supported and delivered a massive amount of local and regional activity – all of which connects young people to their peers and decision makers.
Sincere thanks to all of our partners for making all of this possible, and massive congratulations to the many thousands of young people who are of course at the heart of all these successes.
We would also like to take a moment to remember Andrew Rowe, the former MP for Faversham and Mid-Kent, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. Andrew was instrumental in setting up the UK Youth Parliament nearly a decade ago, and we hope he was proud of just how far we have moved towards realising his vision for the organisation.
Merry Christmas to all. We look forward to yet more progress in 2009.
Throughout 2008, the UK Youth Parliament was supported by:
Department for Children, Schools and Families, Local Authorities, BT, MWH, Votivation, The Home Office, The Ministry of Justice, Department for Transport, The Parliamentary Education Unit, V, The Electoral Commission, Association of Chief Police Officers, Children in Need, Ministry of Defence, British Museum, British Library, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
