The UK Youth Parliament received a prestigious award in Parliament yesterday in recognition of the media angle of their sex and relationships education campaign. Run by Children and Young People Now magazine, the Positive Images award went to the UK Youth Parliament for exposing young people’s experiences of the current levels of sex and relationships education in a high profile publicity campaign.

Commenting on the award, Josh McTaggart, 16 years-old said, "It was brilliant for the UK Youth Parliament to be recognised for a brilliant campaign, one that hundreds of MYPs, past and present, have greatly contributed to. Through this campaign, the true voice of young people has been listened to and action is starting to happen. The award commends the coverage of our campaign, which made national front page news, and this is a true testimony to the hard work of everyone involved in the UK Youth Parliament."
 
Andy Hamflett, Chief Executive added, “Through initiatives like the SRE campaign the UK Youth Parliament and all of its members is turning the idea of consultation on its head. This issue started with young people, they canvassed the views of many thousands of their peers, then made a strong case for change – with use of mainstream media channels a key factor. The way the Members of Youth Parliament spoke out in all forms of the media about this issue was nothing short of inspirational.”

Ravi Chandiramani, Editor of Children and Young People Now magazine commented, "The UK Youth Parliament's sex and relationships education campaign showed what can be done when young people take control of the message. It's a fine example of young voices driving the debate about young lives and fully deserves its Positive Images Award."

The Positive Images awards, for the media and young people alike, aim to counter negative stereotypes of teenagers and award fair representations of young people. For further information visit www.cypnow.co.uk