UK Youth Parliament 2018

Background 

On 9 November the House of Commons chamber will host the nineteenth annual sitting of the UK Youth Parliament. 

What is the UK Youth Parliament?  

The UK Youth Parliament provides opportunities for 11-18-year olds to use their elected voice to bring about social change through meaningful representation and campaigning. The UK Youth Parliament has over 280 seats for elected Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) all aged 11-18. MYPs are usually elected in annual youth elections throughout the UK. Any young person aged 11-18 can stand or vote. In the past two years one million young people have voted in UK Youth Parliament elections. Once elected MYPs organise events and projects, run campaigns and influence decision makers on the issues which matter most to young people. All MYPs have the opportunity to meet once a year at the UK Youth Parliament Annual Sitting.  

Where do campaigns and policies come from?  

Each year Members of Youth Parliament present the issues they were elected to campaign on. Those already in the manifesto are filtered out; others covering similar content are combined. The final list of manifesto policy motions goes forward to the online MYP vote to prioritise the issues they would like most to be debated at the Annual Sitting. This year the Annual Conference was held in July at Nottingham University. Manifesto motions are voted on at the Annual Conference with speeches for each motion and an open floor debate. The top ten issues are then prioritised by MYPs and go forward to a national consultation through the Make Your Mark ballot. 

Parliament Week (12-18 November)  

The UK Youth Parliament’s sitting in the House of Commons marks the start of UK Parliament Week, a programme of events and activities that connects people with the UK Parliament. Organisations across the UK run events and activities throughout UK Parliament Week, which explore what the UK Parliament means to them and their community.  

There is something for everyone: whether you attend or organise an event, or simply take part in the conversation online using the hashtag #UKPW18. Find out more at www.ukparliamentweek.org and follow @YourUkParl on Twitter for the latest news. 

The House of Commons Library: contributing to a well-informed democracy  

The House of Commons Library is an independent research and information service, which gives politically impartial briefing to MPs of all parties and their staff. The Library’s expert staff publish research and analysis on topical issues and legislation, which you can read at commonslibrary.parliament.uk. 

The House of Commons Library aims to ensure that MPs are well informed ahead of any debate in the House of Commons chamber. The purpose of this paper is to ensure that MYPs have access to the same relevant information to help them prepare for the debate in the House of Commons chamber.