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

300 young people are set to invade the House of Lords chamber on the 2nd May as part of a historic move to listen to the voices of children and young people. MYPs will use the event to debate and vote on their national campaigns for 2008 and 2009. This will be the first time the UK Youth Parliament will sit in the Houses of Parliament.

Announcing the event, Natalie North, MYP for Kirklees (17 years-old) commented, “Sitting in the House of Lords is an incredible opportunity for those of us representing other young people. As the profile of the UK Youth Parliament increases it is the perfect chance for the Government and local councils to listen, take seriously and act upon the voice we carry forward. No-one knows better what young people want than young people!”

Andy Hamflett, Chief Executive of the UK Youth Parliament said, “For decades young people have been saying that the Houses of Parliament have very little to do with them, and that will all change on May 2nd when Members of Youth Parliament from across the UK storm the Lords to have their say. They can’t wait, and I know they will show absolutely everybody watching that young people are interested in making a difference.

“It promises to be a fascinating session, but this isn’t just about the event itself. We’ll also be looking to show every young person how they too can get involved in local democratic structures and that whatever talent they have, it can be used to better society.”

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Welcome to the Lords Chamber

By Baroness Helene Hayman, Lord Speaker

On 10 October 2007 I was delighted to be one of the speakers at the UK Youth Parliament’s first Inter-Generational event at the British Museum. Over 250 people of all ages came together to promote a greater understanding across the generations.

The six key topics (sex and relationships education in school, votes at 16, public transport for young people, more facilities for young people, climate change and child poverty) were all vigorously debated and the passion displayed reflected the importance of the topics to the lives of young people.

What struck me in particular that day was that many of these subjects had also been debated in the House of Lords over the past twelve months. It underlined that the work of the House of Lords is of relevance and significance to every section of the British public.

It is because of the relevance and the significance of the House of Lords that I am passionate about the need for people of all ages to engage with our work. It is a core element of my job to go out and meet people from all backgrounds and from all parts of the United Kingdom to talk about how the House of Lords works, and to encourage people to get involved. Since being elected Lord Speaker in July 2006, I have put in place a number of initiatives to promote engagement with the public, particularly young people. One of the initiatives I believe to be most significant is the Peers in Schools programme, which sees peers from all sides of the House visiting schools all over the country to talk about the work of the House, and about their experiences of being members of a busy second Chamber. The feedback from these events has been tremendously positive – both from the schools and the peers themselves.

Engagement with young people is vital to any effective legislature since it is young people who will live in the world which is being shaped by Parliament today. We need to understand the views and experiences of young people in order to pass laws which are fit for the future.

As part of our programme of engagement, I am delighted to announce that in May we will host MYPs in the Chamber of the House of Lords to debate the issues to be adopted as the UKYP’s three national campaigns for 2008. I look forward to welcoming you here on behalf of the Parliamentary Education Service, and I hope that this will help to strengthen further the relationship between Parliament and the UK Youth Parliament.

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