A vote of confidence

The UK Youth Parliament is making young people aware of their rights. By Children's Express

Kate Parish, development co-ordinator for the UK Youth Parliament, is proud and positive about the organisation for which she works, particularly when she considers some of the barriers she faced – notably the argument that there was no need for a UK Youth Parliament (UKYP). "About two and a half years down the line we've got 300 young people in YP posts and we've got over 87 per cent of the young people in England represented with over 80 per cent of local authorities on board; we have separate arrangements with young people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You just have to be persistent and you mustn't be afraid of upsetting people."

So if UKYP was given a blank cheque, what would be Parish's priorities? "One of the main interests for me is the support of young people at ground level, but we're not able to provide that because we run on a shoestring.

"We'd like to make sure that we have regional organisers working full-time and under contract. We'd like to do European trips to see how different systems run and have exchanges across the UK as well."

Parish's views on the future are equally positive. "I would love more MPs to take a personal interest in what young people are doing in their constituencies. I'd love schools to recognise there is a UK Youth Parliament.

"My ultimate aim? I would like to see that by 2005, every young person in the UK aged between 11 and 18 knows that there is a UK Youth Parliament, that they have a right to vote and that they have a right to be represented at a UK level."

Peter Clarke, general manager for the UKYP, is on a placement from the Department for Education and Skills. "Having spent years working within the Government machine on the development of programmes and projects aimed at young people, I'm now not only actually working with young people but for them," he says. "I never fail to be amazed by the levels of commitment, energy and time that young people voluntarily put in – and it's catching.

"I think we both gain from my bringing an understanding of how government works and an experience of implementing systems and interpreting policies.

"In UKYP we've been lucky in the help we receive from local youth services. We are also really grateful for the support we get from Government – the Children and Young People's Unit and Connexions Service in particular. This year for example, we are receiving £110,000 for core staff costs and have also won other funding for other activities. But our total income is still only around £200,000 this year. When you consider that the latest census shows about six million young people in the UKYP's age range, this works out at a little over three pence per young person!

"We are constantly on the look out for adequate funding and sponsorship so we can provide a really effective means for young people to get their voice across where it will make a difference."

This article was produced by Louise Hardy, 16, and Sabrina Golding, 15, with additional reporting by Jasmine Stewart, 15

The UK Youth Parliament

* A national organisation, covering the whole of the UK, aiming to give young people between 11 and 18 a voice at national level

* Every LEA in England represents a Youth Parliament constituency

* There are nine regional groups that meet five or six times a year

* All the young people in the UK Youth Parliament meet once a year

* An annual manifesto and agenda for action is published

* More than 27,000 young people in Kent voted in the first of the new elections to the Youth Parliament last month