Frequently asked questions
Want to know more about Lambeth’s Youth Mayor and UK Youth Parliament projects? This page should answer some of your questions.
What is a Youth Mayor?
The Youth Mayor project was set up as a way of giving young people in Lambeth a voice that will be listened to by the people who make decisions that affect us. That includes local Councillors, businesses, media, services and other decision-makers. Often young peoples’ opinions don’t get heard – or get heard but don’t get acted on. The Young Mayor project is a way of making sure that doesn’t happen in Lambeth.
It gives young people a chance to become involved in the democratic process, and a way of taking real, positive action within their community. Every year the Youth Mayor gets £25,000 to help make Lambeth a better place for children and young people. The Youth Mayor decides how this money is spent with the help of the Youth Mayor’s Advisory Panel (YMAP).
To find out more about the Lambeth Youth Mayor and his deputy, take a look at their Profiles.
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What does Lambeth’s Youth Mayor do?
The Youth Mayor acts as spokesperson for young people in Lambeth and provides a link between young people, the media, decision-makers and service-providers. So if there’s something happening in Lambeth that you want to shout about – let the Youth Mayor know.
The Youth Mayor is also responsible for allocating £25,000 in funding to projects designed for and run by young people. The Youth Mayor works in partnership with other members of Lambeth Youth Council to highlight and campaign on issues which are important to local people, from civil liberties and human rights to local facilities and education.
For more info on what the Youth Mayor has been doing in Lambeth, look at our News archive.
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What is the UK Youth Parliament?
The UK Youth Parliament is a national organisation which represents the views and interests of young people from all over the UK. There are over 500 Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) elected by over 250,000 young voters every year. In 2008 the UK Youth Parliament made history by becoming the first ever non-governmental organisation to hold a formal debate in the House of Lords.
To find out more about Lambeth’s UK Youth Parliament Member and Deputy, take a look at their profiles.
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What do UK Youth Parliament members do?
Members of Youth Parliament get together throughout the year to put together a document called The Manifesto which represents young peoples’ views on the issues MYPs think are most important. These might be student tuition fees, transport costs for young people, healthy living, or anything else that’s important to you.
Across the country MYPs work to give young people a voice, listening to youth groups, organising events, making films, meeting MPs, organising campaigns, appearing in the media and generally making sure your voices are heard. For more info on what your MYP has been doing, look at our News archive.
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How is the Youth Mayor / Member of Youth Parliament elected?
Lambeth’s Youth Mayor and Members of the Youth Parliament are elected every year, and serve a 12 month term from 1 April. Any young person aged 11 – 19 years who lives, works or studies in Lambeth can take part in the elections – either as a Mayoral / UKYP candidate, or as a voter. This year, elections were held in 14 schools and colleges across the borough, and over 7000 votes were cast. Visit our Gallery to see a copy of the final election results.
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How do I get involved?
If you want to get involved with the Lambeth Youth Mayor programme, we want to hear from you. The Youth Mayor does not work alone in Lambeth, but has help from a whole group of advisors who help him / her decide how to spend the Youth Mayor Budget, and generally drive the project forward.
There’s loads of opportunities to get involved all sorts of activities – from web design and film-making to campaigning and other events – so if you want to find out more about the Youth Mayor Advisory Panel (YMAP), drop us a line using our Youth Mayor contacts page.
Alternatively, if you are a young person with an idea for a project of your own – and you need some money to make it happen – why not look into applying for funding using our ‘Get involved page’? It’s for projects which are run by young people, for young people – so if you’ve got a good idea, let us know and make it happen.
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I want to know more
For more information about what you’ve read above, contact us using the details on our Contacts and Links page. We’re here to represent you, so let us know what you think.
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