House of Commons welcomes UK Youth Parliament
23 November 2012 (updated on 23 November 2012)
The House of Commons welcomed over 300 young people into Parliament for the fourth sitting of the UKYP on Friday 23 November.
Presided over by the Speaker, Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Members of Youth Parliament aged 11-18 took part in five debates, the subjects for which were voted for by over 250,000 young people across the UK.
Of the five topics, ‘a curriculum to prepare us for life’ was chosen as the issue which will now form the UK Youth Parliament’s campaign for the coming year. The issue received 154 of the 295 votes cast.
The four other motions debated by young people in the chamber were Marriage for All, Getting Ready for Work, Make Public Transport Cheaper, Better and Accessible for All and An Equal National Minimum Wage for All.
The young person who introduced the winning debate, Sumaiya Karim, 16, from Wokingham, said: "This is something I feel really passionate about. I think it's really important we address this, and it's the perfect time to do it.
"It's really important we have access to education and diverse cultures have the same opportunities. It's about engaging young people and getting them involved in these issues and engaging them for later in life. A lot of our education makes us the people we are and we are the future."
The Commons sitting of the UKYP is one of the key events of Parliament Week (www.parliamentweek.org), a national awareness week supported by the House of Commons and the House of Lords.