UK Youth Parliament at Westminster

This is the second occasion that the UK Youth Parliament has used the House of Commons chamber. 

Over 300 11 to 18-year-olds took part this year, representing hundreds of thousands of young people who voted in the Youth Parliament elections.

The short film above charts the journey of five UK Youth Parliament members sharing experiences of the event through their own video diaries. It is also available on YouTube for you to embed on your own site or blog. 

Watch the debates

During their day at the House of Commons, Members of the UK Youth Parliament (MYPs) debated issues chosen by over 2,500 young people across the country. You can watch all five debates online:

• Sex education debate - which age groups should receive sex education and does it sexualise young people?
• Higher education debate - are university fees too high and are there enough places available?
• Job opportunities debate - is the government doing enough to create jobs and work experience opportunities for young people?
• War in Afghanistan debate - was the war in Iraq justified and should troops be brought home from Afghanistan?
• Cost of public transport debate - is public transport too expensive for young people and when should they start paying adult fares?

About the UK Youth Parliament

The UK Youth Parliament is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. It was set up to give young people a voice on issues they are concerned about, at local, regional and national level.

Young people organise and run the events, campaign on important issues, and hold elections to decide who will represent them.

Supporting the UK Youth Parliament

The Houses of Parliament have hosted UK Youth Parliament debates since 2008, first in the House of Lords and last year in the House of Commons. MPs recently voted in favour of the UK Youth Parliament using the House of Commons chamber once a year until the next general election.

The event is supported by the UK Parliament as part of its public engagement programme.