Contents

Campaigns update

Young people set to storm House of Lords

Iraq five years on

Climate change

Voting frenzy

News in brief

The great sex & relationships debate

Ganja do without it?

Britian's future energy

Hitting children must stop

Help UKYP win a national poster campaign

The power of the web

Since completing training with Al Gore in 2007, Melody Hossaini, Trustee of UKYP and Project Officer at The National Youth Agency, has been involved in a broad range of climate change related activities, including attending the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Bali in December 2007 to shape policies and agreements post the 2012 treaty.

Melody spent a week in Indonesia as the chosen UK delegate on the Asian Young Leaders Climate Forum, made up of young people predominantly from East Asia and Pacific, which covers the countries threatened most imminently by climate change.

There was an exchange of best practice and prioritisation of activities to combat climate change, which formed the basis of the development of a young people focused strategy for action to be implemented globally. This strategy was presented to influential audiences in Bali and won the support of Sir Nicholas Stern, among others.

Speaking after the event, Melody said: “It was vital that young people’s voices were heard at the Bali platform, and we rightly played a role in providing insight in order to inform and influence developments.” Melody will now continue joining up young activists on climate change in the UK to give it a global link. “The problem we face is a global one, therefore the approach needs to be the same. I am as responsible as you are – you are as responsible as I am – governments are as responsible as we are.”

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Action is Needed to Change

By James Faulconbridge, MYP for Nottinghamshire

The Environmental Action Committee (EAC) is a group of young people from across Nottinghamshire. Their aim is to encourage individuals and organisations to reduce their impact on the local environment. This committee at present has the support of the Nottinghamshire County Council and Youth Service and are working closely with them on their first project.

This group was helped set up by Nottinghamshire MYPs, who play a role in the group’s progress. But with the support they are getting they are gaining new members fast, all of them bringing valuable knowledge that will hopefully make this committee a big success.

The project they are embarking on is targeting secondary schools to sign up to the commitment set by Eco-Schools (details of which can be found at www.eco-schools.org.uk).

If you would like more information on the EAC, and keep up to date on their progress to: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/youthzone. If you wish to acquire any information on how to set up your own committee, which young people in the areas you represent feel need to be raised or tackled, then just email environmentactioncommittee@hotmail.co.uk