Read each candidate's manifesto to make an informed decision.
Why are you standing to be MYP? I am standing for Member of Youth Parliament because I am very passionate about making a positive impact in our community and representing the voices and concerns of young people. I believe that young people should have a say in the decisions that affect their lives, and by standing for this position, I am committed to advocating for your ideas and well-being. I am dedicated to addressing the issues that matter most to young people, such as education, mental health, and youth empowerment. I would like to be a voice for change, working collaboratively with my peers and local authorities to create opportunities for personal growth and development. I am excited about the prospect of influencing policies that can make a real difference in the lives of young people and the broader community. Furthermore, I hope to bring a fresh perspective, innovative ideas, and a strong commitment to social justice to this role. I am ready to engage with my peers, listen to their concerns, and work to ensure that their voices are heard at all levels of government. Together, we can create a brighter future for our generation, and that is why I am standing for Member of Youth Parliament. What will you do if you are elected? If I am elected, I hope to solve issues in Hampshire and to create more opportunities for the voices of young people. I believe that all the decisions made should express the views of young people. I believe empowering young people to participate in the democratic process is crucial. I will organize workshops, campaigns, and educational programs to encourage youth involvement in politics and decision-making. In addition, given the pressing environmental challenges, I will support initiatives and policies that address climate change, promote sustainability, and protect our natural environment. What are you passionate about? I love reading, especially fiction about adventure and action, in a dystopian world and the occasional non-fiction book. I also enjoy debating and it is one of my favourite hobbies, especially when we discuss philosophical and global issues. I am passionate about solving pressing issues such as climate change, and I believe that we can work to stop issues like this together. How will you ensure the young people in your constituency voices are heard? I will actively engage with young people through various channels such as online forums, social media and surveys. I also hope to organize workshops and educational programs to help educate young people about political decision making, so that they can more accurately express their opinions. I will try my best to reach out to diverse communities within Hampshire to capture a wide range of perspectives.
I am excited to present my Election Manifesto, outlining my vision and commitment to making our community a better place. The two areas I feel I can create maximum impact are: 1) Literacy for all through hyperlocal libraries 2) Increasing funding for food charities These are the cornerstones of my campaign, and I am dedicated to working tirelessly in these areas that are close to my heart. 1. Literacy for All: #ReuseReadReconnect With council budgets being cut, library funding is down a whopping 48% since 2010 and over 17% of libraries around the country have closed. I am committed to augmenting our school library network by setting up a network of neighbourhood “bookshelves” – called the MicroBod. Picture an unused phone booth as a MicroBod, a place to gather at, connect with a stranger and pick up a book to read. • Reuse: Recycle the old books that are gathering dust in our homes and fill up the local MicroBod in your neighbourhood • Read: Read something you otherwise wouldn’t have access to and expand your horizon • Reconnect: In this digital age of loneliness, human connections are paramount. MicroBod provides a neighbourhood location to create human bonding. There are many books we have in our homes that are simply gathering dust. This is my mantra to ensure we have a free system in every neighbourhood where anyone can take a book and leave one behind, they are done with, while making a new friend. Its free, it’s easy to use and it promotes literacy. 2. Increasing funding for food charities: #POUNDS4PLATES As the cost-of-living crisis bites us, and councils already under pressure try and fund community pantries and food banks, I want to create a way to reduce public burden. As costs rise, processed and junk meals are the easiest and lowest cost method of filling oneself up in community pantries but with disastrous health consequences. #VOTEBALJEE Furthermore, as budgets of councils get squeezed, there is a widening gap between what the community needs, and the councils can afford. I will partner with restaurant chains to adopt an optional charge of 1% on every bill to create a unique funding model for the POUNDS4PLATES programs. This will be a unique funding model, which will not pinch the end consumer at restaurants, while providing a sustainable method of funding key initiatives like the community pantries. For transparency to where the proceeds are used, we will create alliances with reputed organizations like Too Good to Go and UK Akshaya Patra Foundation. To ensure accountability and action, I propose to create an online platform to share resources, knowledge, and expertise. The platform will help guide me on where the next MicroBod is to be placed or where the next POUND4PLATES is to be enabled. It will help sign up volunteers and promote a spirit of collaboration, cooperation, and unity within our community. Your support is crucial in making this vision a reality. Let's work together to create positive change in our community.
MARUSIC FOR A STRONGER YOUTH I am a new pupil from Bosnia and Herzegovina and am a 6 Book 2 entrant at Winchester College. I came from a very different land from this, and I see the major differences, some for better, some for worse. I am also very knowledgeable of politics and know how to do the right things. I am also aware that it is hard, very hard to make a perfect World, but I am a candidate which will try to make the World as perfect as possible. I first saw the differences between the eating habits of the Hampshire and Bosnian youth, also the social differences and differences in World view and I am happy to say that for the most part the Hampshire youth have a better World view and are more sociable than Bosnian ones. I am also impressed with the knowledge of the Hampshire youth and their ambition to do better, to build a better future for their country. If you elect me, I would like to make a few changes for the Hampshire youth which are: • Better eating: ◦ This will be achieved by distributing more funds to the schools (both independent and state schools) with a higher proportion going to state schools. A good nutrition is a major part of good health. This is the main thing I would like to focus on, to alarm the people that a badly feed youth gives a bad youth. I planned to give fish (rich in omega-3) a higher proportion on school lunch menus. I also planned to give a higher significance in vitamin filled vegetables. This will improve the youth’s health and therefore their learning. • A chance for state school students to participate in lessons of independent schools: ◦ This will achieve some equality between the independent schools and state schools, by giving students a possibility to attend lessons in highly acknowledge schools like Winchester College which has some equipment that many state schools lack. This will produce a more capable youth and help in making Britain’s future better. This is also a chance to socialize with students from other schools which is very important. • A stronger voice for the youth: ◦ This will be achieved by organizing referendums on the resolutions adopted by the House of Commons which concern students and pupils from all over the United Kingdom. The best way to know if the population is in favour of a law is by organizing a referendum which is a major part of a direct democracy which we all want. This is a job of the youth member of parliament, to strengthen the voice of the youth which have no way of expressing their voice on topics which concern them, therefore the slogan “MARUSIC FOF A STRONGER YOUTH” and I will mainly focus on strengthening the youths voice in the United Kingdom.
Hi, I’m Joshua and I am a student from Winchester. As a candidate, I am excited at the prospect of serving you and helping your voice to be heard in the Hampshire Youth Parliament. I have real experience of lobbying and responding to constituents’ concerns after having had the experience of working with an MP over the summer. I would fight this election over the following issues: • Addressing child poverty • Building a better relationship between young people and the government • Facilitating job training and providing more internships for young people. 1. Child Poverty Around 4.2 million children are living in poverty in the UK. That’s nine in a classroom of thirty. This is a desperate situation. We need more affordable housing and better access for all. We can improve prospects and outcomes if we give our young people a brighter future to aspire to…alongside better employment opportunities. I believe that this needs to start with improving the quality of the education we offer. The state sector is broken, but with more funding to allow for better facilities and smaller class sizes, we could see an improvement in learning environments. Children are leaving school with fewer numeracy and literacy skills. This isn’t fair. It hampers their prospects in the job market and can perpetuate a dependence on benefits and even a cycle of poverty. 2. Building a better relationship between young people and the government. There is an increasing divide between young people and the senior policymakers that make up the government. Since we are under the age of 18 and cannot vote, we can feel that politicians all too often overlook us and instead choose to wrestle with issues that concern a more senior electorate. We need to make policy making feel more relevant for young people as the decisions being made now will affect us and our future. I am a firm advocate of petitioning the government around the themes that mean the most to young people. I would get behind the Make Your Mark campaign, a forum that enables under-18s to vote on which events/themes are most important to them. I would lobby for an annual vote to inform MPs more directly across our government about the issues that concern us most. 3. Jobs With an ageing population, our need for a skilled and competent workforce to drive innovation becomes all the more necessary. Job training opportunities and apprenticeships provide one of the leading solutions to tackle poverty. I believe that there are too many young adults in Hampshire who are left uncertain about their future due to a lack of proper career paths being made available. If elected, I will ask for an increase in companies offering youth internships and research alternative ways to encourage young adults to access the job market. If elected, I will work tirelessly with local councils and petition the government to deliver on these objectives and listen to you so that I can bring your issues to their attention.
My name is Wilf, and I am 13 years old and it would be my privilege to represent you and give children a voice in the Hampshire Youth Parliament (HYP). I hope to show you why I am qualified for this job: I have previous leadership experience in my old school; I was elected to be Head of Year in Year 7 by my peers and sat on the Student Council. In that role my job was to listen to children in my year and hear what was important to them and then to communicate those ideas to the Head and Deputy Head of the Senior School. My key achievements were to improve the playground equipment at the school and perhaps more importantly, to set up a system so that the space was used fairly and equally by all year groups. I am standing to be a member of the HYP because I feel that it is really important for children to have a voice. We really care about the future of our country and the current Parliament, and the Opposition are not doing a terrific job (in my opinion). Children can look beyond party politics and can focus on genuine ideals and goals. Children are worried about the environment. Children are worried about getting a good job and being able to afford a home. Children are worried about their mental health. I really hope that you’ll vote for me because I worry about the same things, and I want to provide practical ways to help address these issues. I have based my policies on what the students of Hampshire are worried about: 1) Climate Change: Lobby to install solar panels on school roofs. In Hampshire we are in the South of England and have good levels of UV rays throughout the year. Improving schools’ carbon footprints means that we can feel like we are making a difference. Plus, the money saved on electricity bills can be put back into the school making it a more enjoyable place to be. 2) Work & Opportunities: Businesses could open their doors to conscientious teenagers and offer weekend work. This would benefit the students as they can earn some extra cash and the businesses can create a workforce ready to go into adulthood and work. 3) Mental health and social media. I see first-hand what social media does. If my friends have not been hurt by it then they are addicted to it. I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that as a collective when we come together, we can find a path forward. All these ideas are achievable through campaigning and lobbying. As children this is something we can do. I know we are not as powerful as the government; we cannot create huge changes, but we can start them. If you elect me, we will ignite huge changes.
Why am I standing: I became interested in the Youth Parliament because I realised that it was an opportunity for young people to talk about and tackle issues that they are passionate about and so that is what I will do. Here are some of the commitments I would like to make as your Youth MP: Being Heard: Our voices are the most important asset we have, and it is vital that we can express our opinions whatever they may be. Oftentimes, people submitting feedback to the local council feel as if they ultimately go unheeded by the very representatives that they themselves voted in; that’s why, as your Youth MP, I will hold regular meetings in person every month, where we can discuss what the best path forwards for our community is. The Environment: Climate change is one of the biggest issues facing us and the world today. Just this year fires in Hawaii devastated the landscape and hurricanes lashed through Florida, causing over a billion dollars in damage. Climate change is an issue we must tackle together and so that is why a goal of mine is to introduce a Climate Challenge where young people are given the opportunity to come together and think innovatively and creatively about our environment and what we can do to help protect it. Mental Health: Mental health is one of the most important social issues plaguing our society today and young people are especially vulnerable to mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. That is why now more than ever it is important to inform young people about how to keep up their emotional, psychological and social well-being. That is why I will aim to introduce an interactive mental health meeting where young people across the county can find out how to protect themselves against mental illness and know where they can find help if they ever need it.
My name is Xander. I am running in this election to give young people their voice back. As a young person, it feels like so much happens in the country that we have no control over. We need to have a voice, but not just through protest. That is what the Youth Parliament can offer us, if the right person is elected. I believe I am the best candidate to represent you because I understand the issues important to young people, and I have the experience to put this into action. I already play an active part within the Hampshire Youth Parliament. During my time within the organisation, we have been voicing young people’s opinions, not least through Make Your Mark, and organising plenty of events to help young people get involved in their local community. I am also a member of the Hampshire Youth Commission, and through both the commission and the Youth Parliament, I have posed important questions to senior Councillors and MP alike. However, I recognise that the Youth Parliament must go much further. We must become far more visible and interactive with young people, so we can better represent your priorities. From my experience, the priorities of young people are clear. First, the climate catastrophe is, rightly, at the top of young people's agendas; what use is making plans for a future, which without action, may not exist. I will always push to ensure that tackling climate change is our number 1 priority and will not tolerate local or national leaders falling short of their commitments. Secondly, young people’s mental health has suffered recently, especially post Covid. Far much more attention must be given to this growing crisis. As well as understanding how social media, with all its capacity for good, can also cause enormous strain to young people’s well-being. Third, the state of our schools and education will always be one of the top areas of interest for young people. The environment in which people learn is just as important as what they learn. So I will always support initiatives for real student engagement with leadership teams within schools. These are just three of the areas I feel are important to young people, but by no means are these exclusively the issues important to young people. Ultimately the only way I would be able to represent your interests and priorities, is through communicating with you. So above all else I pledge to listen to you. I don’t want these elections to be the last time you hear about the Youth Parliament. We are here to serve you. We must be listening. We must be visible. We must be loud. I believe I have the passion, the energy, the drive, and the experience to really make a difference and get our voices heard. So, if you want to give change a shot, if you want to get young people’s voices heard, vote for Xander: because I’ll listen to the past, but I’m talking about the future.