28.07.2009
Hundreds of Members of Youth Parliament from across the UK made their way to Kent this weekend to take part in a national youth summit.
With public confidence in politics at an all time low, Members of Youth Parliament came together to address the issues that matter most to young people. The four day summit saw the launch of three national campaigns on public transport, university tuition fees and political education. Other issues discussed included the environment, mental health, crime and education.
Several high profile speakers also faced the MYPs, including the newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow MP, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Government Ministers Bridget Prentice MP, Jonathan Shaw MP and Paul Clark MP, and Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students.
The summit was held at University of Kent, Canterbury from 24th – 27th July 2009.
Oliver Rowlinson, Member of Youth Parliament for Kent, 17, said,
“The UK Youth Parliament shows that young people, up and down our country – want to make a difference to the lives of others."
Stephanie Wills, Member of Youth Parliament for Lancashire, 17, commented,
“This event is important because it is bringing together the country's young representatives . It is like having a nations worth of opinions in one place"
Rhys George, Member of Youth Parliament for Kent, 18, said,
“As an elected Member of Youth Parliament I am making a difference by representing the views of the people who may feel that they cannot have their voices heard."
For media enquiries please contact Fiona McKinstrie on 020 7553 9894/ 07507 603378.
BBC News Coverage
The summit was covered by BBC News Channel all day on Saturday 25 July. Here are the clips:
10:25 - Introduction - Kat Mather and Ben Mallon
11:20 - Public transport campaign - Rupert Bailey and Nafisah Atcha
13:40 - Abolish university tuition fees - James Greenhalgh
14:25 - Climate change - Joshua Clements and Casper Ter Kuile
15:20 - Terrorism and violent extremism - Lucie Dean and Jaffer Hussain
16:40 - Political education - Bex Bailey and Alex Armstrong
17:20 - Aims of the UK Youth Parliament - Umar Kankiya and Sam Ellis
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