NOMINATIONS have opened for four UK Youth Parliament positions to represent Barnet in 2012. Young people aged between 11 and 18years are urged to nominate themselves ahead of elections in February. In Barnet, four young people will be elected at the polls next year – two members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) and two deputy MYPs.
Once elected, the MYPs will represent Barnet youth at regional meetings and during the annual sitting of Youth Parliament. The UKYP was established in 2000 and is run by young people for young people, giving them the opportunity to share their opinions on issues from job opportunities to foreign policy. Its views and recommendations are listened to by local and national government and providers of youth services.
Registration for budding candidates closes on January 10, following an information session for candidates on January 5. All young people will have the opportunity to vote online from January 30 to February 10. To vote, youngsters will need to gain a voter card from their school, available next month. In the 2011 elections nearly 6,000 votes were cast to decide which of the 21 candidates were selected. Xavier Hussain, 16, Deputy Member of the UK Youth Parliament, said: “Representing Barnet on the UKYP has been a fantastic opportunity to discover more about myself and develop my personal skills. “This year I’ve run a campaign, been interviewed by the Guardian and several radio stations, debated issues like the London riots and spoken to the likes of Ed Miliband and John Bercow. “Every month I get the chance to meet and work with other like-minded young people from across London, and if you want to get involved in democracy and tackling youth issues then there’s surely no better way than this.”
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