Young people place your vote
02 March 2010
Young people across Bolton are being encouraged to vote for the next round of Youth MPs.
Bolton’s Youth MP Elections, part of the National UK Youth Parliament group, take place from Monday, March 1st March to Friday 9th April 2010.
Eight candidates are taking part in the election, and young people aged from 11 to 18 years-old are being asked to vote for their two favourite Youth MPs.
Each candidate has prepared a short speech about what they hope to achieve for the young people of Bolton. Their campaigns cover issues such as increasing local facilities and improving the image of young people in the borough.
All speeches will be part of an election DVD which will be sent to Bolton’s secondary schools as part of an election pack. Young people can vote at their ballot box in school or online at:
www.connexions-bolton.com/myp until 9th April 2010.
Elected Youth MPs will learn about the needs, interests and concerns of young people on both a local and national level. They will lobby parliament as part of the national UK Youth Parliament group and sit on the Bolton Children’s Trust.
Youth MPs are apolitical, as the UK Youth Parliament is an independent group, so Youth MPs will focus on issues affecting young people in the borough rather than party politics.
The new elected Youth MPs will take over from last year’s successful MPs, Wangu Chafuwa and Christie Fisher, who represented young people of Bolton at Regional events, National and Regional residentials and at the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) Youth Forum. They have also hosted health awareness events in secondary schools and helped the Bolton Cash Panel to distribute £350,000 to different youth groups.
Councillor Ebrahim Adia, Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Children’s Services said, “Bolton’s Youth MP Elections are a great way of introducing young people to local democracy and giving them the opportunity to have a say on local issues. Youth MPs also play an important role in making sure that young people are fairly represented. I’d encourage the borough’s young people to vote for their favourite MP and make their voice heard.”