Plymouth’s Youth Parliament to take part in UK's largest youth consultation

Plymouths Youth Parliament and Youth Cabinet are taking part in the annual Make Your Mark ballot, the largest consultation of young people in the country.

In a ballot beginning 12 August and running till 7 October, young people across the country will be asked what issues matter most to them, in order to determine what is debated by the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) in the House of Commons on 11 November.

Voting takes places both online and through ballot papers issues in schools and youth centres and all secondary schools and colleges in Plymouth are being asked to register by Friday 15 July if they want to run the ballot.

Ten topics will be available to choose from on the initial Make Your Mark ballot paper, with the five most popular topics among young people going on to be discussed by members of the Youth Parliament (MYP’s) in their November debate, chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons Rt. Hon. John Bercow MP and broadcast live on BBC Parliament.

Councillor Terri Beer, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said: “We know that lots of our young people are really passionate which is why the UK Youth Parliament is such a fantastic platform for them to make their voices heard. We need to make sure we engage our young people at an early age in the issues that matter to them, so that they feel by voting and debating they really can make a difference to government.”

Last year, the Make Your Mark ballot surveyed the opinions of over 970,000 young people, making it the largest youth consultation of its kind in the UK. This year, MYPs have set themselves a target of getting one million young people to take part.

If you would like more information about how to get involved with this year’s Make your Mark campaign please contact Jenny Way on 01752 307102 or email   jenny.way@plymouth.gov.uk