UKYP - Debatable - House of Commons 2012 Souvenir Edition

Issue 13 – November 2012

Debatable UK Youth Parliament magazine – House of Commons souvenir edition

Edward Timpson & John Bercow drop by for a chat

Twitter Trending Triumph!

Hello and welcome to this special issue of Debatable magazine!

So, everybody knows we debated at the House of Commons on the 23rd of November. However if it wasn’t for the Annual Sitting back in July where we voted on what to put on the Make your Mark ballot, and of course the 253,637 young people who voted across the UK we wouldn’t have even had any debates to sink our teeth into, let alone a priority campaign for the upcoming year.

Debating at the House of Commons was an incredible experience. It was both humbling and exhilarating to know you were speaking in the Chamber also known as ‘The Mother of all Democracies!’ All the MYPs who gave speeches both at the dispatch box and during the open debate were excellent so it truly was a pleasure to debate alongside them.

2012 debate leads

So, the campaign we voted for was, of course, “A Curriculum to Prepare us for Life”!

Whatever we voted for, I think we can all get behind this campaign. And who knows? Maybe in 15 years’ time, every young person will go to the House of Commons, as part of a curriculum to prepare us for life!

Michaella Philpot, Martyn Bonham and Amaka Uchegbu (debate leads)

A day to remember... in numbers Jade Sexton MYP and Justine Avis travelled from Germany... that’s miles! over

295 Members of Youth Parliament travelled to Westminster from English local authorities and the nations of the UK

120

576

3 They were there to discuss issues, chosen by

5

Cutler, turned on the day of the debates

18

young people across the UK The youngest A total of speaker of young people the day was spoke in the debates and Alex Jenner votes were cast from Solihull The winning campaign ‘A curriculum for life’ received votes

91

2

295

154

ament: The UK Youth Parli litics sues NOT party po is h ut yo t ou ab • IS shout and d cheer, DOESN’T • DOES clap an sneer uth population e UK’s diverse yo • REFLECTS th

1 MYP, Liam

253,637

12-yearold

cy Doing democra differently

Inside this issue: 3

And the winner is...

The lowdown on the winning campaign ‘A curriculum for life’, and a quick chat with Mr Speaker.

4-5 Pull-out photo

A souvenir pull-out photo of MYPs in the Chamber.

6

Public transport / Ready for work

Details of the day’s first two debates and Q&A with Edward Timpson.

7

Marriage for all / Minimum wage

Happenings from the final debates and our pick of the day’s top Tweets.

8

Message from the PM / About UKYP and BYC

Special message from the Prime Minister, plus information about the UK Youth Parliament and the charity that runs it.

Images on cover, pages 3, 4-5, 7 & 8 ©Parliamentary Copyright

And the winner is...

s e t o v t n e m a i l Youth Par e f i l r o f m u l for a curricu Should life skills be taught as part of the national curriculum? Or is that knowledge best learned at the university of life? Is it the responsibility of the state to teach political knowledge, sex and relationships education, financial literacy and cultural awareness?

The answer from members of the Youth Parliament was a resounding “yes” when they chose ‘a curriculum to prepare us for life’ as their campaign issue for the coming year.

The topic was chosen in the annual event at the House of Commons where 295 Members of Youth Parliament voted for their favourite out of five issues after listening to and taking part in debates. A curriculum for life received a massive 154 votes, more than double the number received for any other issue.

Speaking enthusiastically in favour of ‘a curriculum to prepare us for life’ was Sumaiya Karim MYP, 16, from Wokingham, who 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.”

She was calling for a new national curriculum resulting from a “youth-led review because the decisions made will affect our futures”.

Several MYPs who spoke from the floor agreed they had come out of school with too little knowledge of real life.

“It’s all well and good coming out of school with a large list of accreditations but if you can’t do anything in your life what good are they?” said Alex Hunt MYP, 17, from Hertfordshire.

Emily Nicholas MYP, 17, from Yorkshire said: “We need to look for something that’s going to help us achieve our ambitions. Not everyone has the same family background but we have a brilliant education system and it’s a way we can reach out to every young person in Britain, therefore a curriculum that prepares us for life is the best [motion].”

Arguing against the motion was Natasha Browne MYP, 17, from Solihull, who warned against the state prescribing these skills.

“We are not designed to learn how to be human in an institution; we learn about life by living it,” she said.

A quick chat with...

Mr Speaker The UK Youth Parliament debates were chaired

by House of Commons speaker Rt Hon John Bercow MP. He has chaired every UKYP debate since it started using the chamber four years ago and has attended all the regional Annual Sittings since 2009.

Q: Why is this event important to you?

A: The overwhelming majority of people here are under 18 so they don’t vote, they’re not formally part of the adult political system and yet they’re keen, they have views, they’re committed, they want to engage. I chair the proceedings as a mark of respect.

Q: What stands out for you about this sitting in particular?

A: The passion: to be here, to contribute, passion for the points of view which people hold. The other thing that impresses me is how representative it is. There’s a pretty much equal spread between men and women, the ethnic minorities are very much represented, there are disabled people who come.

All in all I’m a big fan of the Youth Parliament.

3

UK Youth P House of Com 23 Novem

Parliament mmons sitting mber 2012

Make public transport cheaper, better and accessible for all Public transport is too expensive and unreliable for young people who often have no other way of getting to college or work, said MYPs in the first debate of the day.

The chamber of 295 MYPs was fiercely divided, with many saying public transport was the main concern for their constituents and that it should be the focus of the UKYP for the coming year. But others said that as it had been the campaign for the previous year and not enough progress had been made, a different issue should be chosen.

In his opening speech Callum Crozier MYP, 16, from Northumberland, talked about young people who “face a daily struggle to get to work, school, and doctors’ appointments” and the injustice faced by some people as young as 14 having to pay adult prices. Furthermore, in some rural areas young people found public transport unreliable and infrequent.

However, Matthew Wilson MYP, 17 from Stockton on Tees, suggested that the issue was primarily a regional one: “Regionally people achieved so much, we could leave it as a regional campaign? And this year choose something that will have more impact nationally.”

23 out of 295 MYPs voted for ‘Make Public Transport Cheaper, Better and Accessible for All’

Getting ready for work 46 out of 295 MYPs voted for this motion

6

In their second debate, MYPs argued that better opportunities for work experience and apprenticeships for young people are vital to prepare properly for getting a job.

Youth unemployment is too high and young people need greater opportunities to prepare for the world of work, argued 15-year-old Ryan Davies MYP, from Wales.

He said: “The number of unemployed young people is still disappointingly high... career support needs to be improved for young peoples’ progress. A job gives you a footing in life, and we must strive to give every young person an opportunity to contribute fully to our society.”

Arguing against adopting the issue for the campaign was David Hall MYP, 17, from Greenwich, who said it was not relevant for all the members of the UKYP, some of who are not at the age yet where they are thinking about work.

“What about 11, 12 or 13 year olds that you and I represent? Is it a concern that they share? How relevant is it for them for this to be the UK Youth Parliament campaign?” he said.

A quick chat with...

Edward Timpson MP Children’s Minister Edward Timpson MP attended this year’s UK Youth Parliament debates and closed proceedings with a speech of his own.

We caught up with him to find out what he thought of the day.

Q: Why do you feel it was important for the UKYP to come here today?

A: It’s a demonstration of how important it is to have young people involved in our democracy and what better demonstration of that than being able to debate issues with the Speaker and the Leader of the House of Commons, to bring it to life and to make them realise that actually it does matter what you think and we want to hear what you have to say.

Q: What was the highlight?

A: The most impressive element was the quality, not just the oratory but also the deep knowledge and huge thought that had gone into the speeches, and the range of views.

It was a very humbling experience for me, but beyond that there’s an opportunity to widen that debate to make sure [UKYP] spreads its tentacles.

£

Marriage for all The words “as someone who hasn’t even had their first proper snog yet” have probably never before been uttered in the House of Commons, but they were pronounced loud and clear by one MYP in the third debate of the day.

Jack Matthews MYP, 16, from Poole, may go down in history for his words in one of the opening speeches in a debate about equal marriage.

He was speaking against the adoption of the motion for the UKYP’s campaign for the coming year, using humour to underline the serious point that an issue of more relevance to young people, such as education and training, fair wages and affordable transport – the other topics up for debate on the day –

would be better campaigns.

“I would rather be well-informed, well trained, well paid, or well travelled than, well, married.”

Speaking in favour of the motion was Michaella Philpot MYP, 18, from Essex, who said: “We have a moral and social obligation to challenge human rights abuse against gay people”, she also talked about the unacceptable prevalence of homophobic bullying.

But the government is already addressing the issue, pointed out Jack McCann MYP, 17, from Northern Ireland: “The Government has pledged to enact equal marriage by 2015 – a pledge I’m sure no party will want to break”.

£

An Equal National Minimum Wage For All How is it fair that two people doing the same job over the same hours and with the same skills get paid such different rates just because of their age? This was the question being asked by Members of the UK Youth Parliament in their fourth debate of the day.

Everyone agreed the £2.51 disparity in minimum wage between a 16 and a 21-year-old doing the same job was unfair, but the house was divided about whether the issue should be adopted as their campaign.

Supporting 15-year-old Martyn Bonham MYP, who presented the case for the motion, was Daisy Murphy MYP, 15, from Oldham, who said: “At 16 we pay full prices for bus fares, clothes etc, so why should we be paid less? Are we expected to work less

or be less productive? No.” Amaka Uchegbu MYP, 18, from Sheffield presenting the case against this issue becoming the UKYP’s priority campaign, said the wage disparity was just one symptom of a wider age discrimination problem, and that equalising it would not help young people: “If we make it more unprofitable for companies to have us, then of course, they just won’t have us.

They’ll keep their money and leave us with our youth unemployment.”

50 out of 295 MYPs voted for ‘An Equal National Minimum Wage For All’ to be the UKYP’s priority campaign

22 out of 295 MYPs voted for ‘Marriage for All’

Top Tweets With our hashtag #UKYPHoC trending UK-WIDE(!!!), here’s our pick of the day’s top tweets: @EmilyHarle: Wouldn’t it be great if our MPs were as respectful and clear in their arguments as @UKYPs Members of Youth Parliament were today? #UKYPHoC @SoilaSays: Pretty amazing report on #UKYPHoC on BBC radio 4! Giving us the justice we deserve! #youthvoice @BBCRadio4 @UKYP @Childcomwales: @Jessicapet111 @ryansdavies @joel_nathan_p So #UKYPHoC and London was good?

Marks out of 10? @RyanSDavies: @childcomwales am I allowed to say 11? @Tramshed3000: Loving the fact that UK Youth Parliament is FAR more representative of population in terms of gender & ethnicity than adult version #UKYPHoC @BBCFreeSpeech: Valid points FOR & AGAINST the debate being made from the chamber > these green benches are deffo getting their money’s worth today #UKYPHoC

7

A message from the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister’s message was read out in the chamber by Rahib Shabir MYP, from Bradford.

About the UK Youth Parliament The UK Youth Parliament is an initiative run by the British Youth Council which enables young people aged 11-18 to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better.

There are currently over 600 members, and deputy members, of Youth Parliament who have been elected in annual youth elections throughout the UK. Once elected, MYPs organise events and projects, run campaigns and influence decision makers on the issues which matter most to young people. All MYPs meet twice a year at the UK Youth Parliament regional and national annual sittings.

Visit: www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk

About the British Youth Council The British Youth Council is the National Youth Council of the UK. A youth-led charity, we empower young people aged 25 and under to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. We support young people to get involved in their communities and democracy locally, nationally and internationally, making a difference as volunteers, campaigners, decision-makers and leaders.

In addition to the UK Youth Parliament, the British Youth Council also runs a number of other youth-led networks and programmes - including the Young Mayor Network and Local Youth Council Network - which encourage young people to get involved in democracy and campaign to bring about change.

Visit: www.byc.org.uk

Acknowledgements The British Youth Council would like to thank the following organisations who made this event possible: Parliament Week, House of Commons staff, Hansard, Parliamentary Education Service, The Department for Education, UKYP Procedures Group, Local Authorities, Regional Youth Work Units (North West, South West and Yorkshire & Humber), Funky Dragon, the Scottish Youth Parliament, the Northern Ireland Youth Forum and BBC Three’s Free Speech.