The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) aims to give the young people of the UK between the ages of 11 and 18 a voice, which will be heard and listened to by local and national government, providers of services for young people and other agencies who have an interest in the views and needs of young people.  It is an independent, national charity that has a rolling programme of activities across the year.  This includes an Annual Sitting, Regional Meetings, regular dialogue with Ministers, including the Prime Minister and Opposition Spokespeople and inputs to police and programme development.

The UKYP was launched at the House of Commons in July 1999, and held its first sitting in February 2001 in London.  There are currently over 300 elected MYPs who represent both young men and women, including young people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and with physical and learning disabilities.

Each Local Education Authority (LEA) represents a UKYP constituency, and 87% of the LEA’s across England are currently represented on the UKYP (representing approximately 90% of young people in England).  In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the UKYP works in partnership with the respective national youth agencies to ensure that the young people of those nations are represented on UKYP, ie the Scottish Youth Parliament, Funky Dragon – Wales, the Northern Ireland Youth Forum.

The UKYP has produced a Youth Manifesto at each of its sittings.  The Manifesto is distributed to all MPs, Government Departments and Ministers for a response, and to other agencies who have an interest in young people and the provision of services for young people, to ensure that the views of the Youth Parliament are heard and listened to by Government.

Within Gloucestershire, the UKYP is supported via Gloucestershire Youth Service as part of the Participation Project.  Each year elections are carried out across the county in January involving young people from youth projects and schools.