Hampshire Youth Parliament

Elections

Any young person who is a resident of the UK and aged between 11 and 18 years old (inclusive) has the right to stand for election as a Member for Youth Parliament (MYP) and the right to vote for their MYP.

As a county, Hampshire has one MYP for each of the seven constituencies, alongside one Deputy Member for Youth Parliament (DMYP). The constituencies are:

• North West
• North East
• Central
• East
• South West
• South
• South East

As part of the role, both MYPs and DMYPs will find out the concerns and needs of other young people in their constituency and represent these views to decision makers on a local, regional and national level. Alongside this they will also be involved in a variety of events, projects, and campaigns.

Hampshire County Council provides governance and mentoring support for the MYPs which enables the HYP to operate effectively.

Their MP will be keen to hear from them, and many MYPs will develop a productive working relationship with their MP.

As a member, they will also attend between six and ten regional meetings held in London during the term of office. Once a year, the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) holds an annual sitting, which brings together all the MYPs from across the whole of the UK for a three-day residential. Here they will receive training, plan campaigns and update the UKYP manifesto and network.

Campaigns

Protect Hampshire's Environment

The Hampshire Youth Parliament continue to work on their 'Protect Hampshire’s Environment' campaign by holding eco-conferences, working with Regional Youth Climate Assembly South East and producing a podcast on the environment.

Movement for Change (health and wellbeing)

Our campaign for supporting young people’s mental health has continued to develop.

A group of our members have continued working with the Children and Young People’s Mental Health NHS Hampshire grants panel, giving them the opportunity to be directly involved in the decision process for charity organisations being awarded funds. These funds will be directly supporting mental health groups for the young people of Hampshire.

Food for Learning (cost of living and health)

In 2023, the UK Youth Parliament launched the UK-wide campaign for universal free school meals with a new partnership with Child Poverty Action Group.

This campaign focuses on the outcome of the UKYP’s House of Commons sitting when the cost of living and its impact on health and wellbeing was selected by them as the key topic for 2023.

The HYP team are supporting this new campaign, working to call on political parties to include free schools meals for all school-age children in their general election manifestos.

Make Your Mark

Make Your Mark is a democratic process which can be directly linked to the British Values section of the PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) curriculum. It gives all young people aged 11 to 18 in the UK the chance to have their say on the biggest issues facing young people. Voting on a number of topics in Hampshire is facilitated through Hampshire Youth Parliament.

Although Make Your Mark is a nationwide consultation, the results report also shows regional breakdowns, which highlight what issues were prioritised by young people in different areas of the UK. This data is often used to influence school policy and to generate positive social change within your school and wider community.