Cllr Pearl Lewis

On Tuesday 17th August I visited Green Park to talk to some young people taking part in a youth services residential break. My youth workers from Bucks County Council contacted me to ask, as an ex-member of the UK Youth Parliament, to go and talk to the young people about my experiences of Youth Parliament in 2004 and my achievements since then. I spoke about how valuable my UKYP experience was at the age of seventeen, and how it encouraged me to continue my career in politics, with my degree and then as a councillor at Aylesbury Vale District Council.

I highlighted to the young people the importance of getting involved in their local communities and providing a voice for other youngsters and the issues that affect them. I was once told as a Member of Youth Parliament that ‘although young people are just 20% of the population, we are 100% of the future’ – I haven’t forgotten that and hope that this helped to illustrate the importance of Youth Parliament in encouraging young people to have a say on policies that affect their future.

The UKYP has come a long way since I was involved in 2004. There had not been, before me, a member for Aylesbury Vale, and my youth worker told me that there is now up to 35 applications for the position every year. This is very encouraging, and lovely to see that it has grown to be something that every school in the Vale is aware of now.

Some of the young people came to ask me questions at the end – about politics degrees at university, future careers and more about UKYP. It was an enlightening afternoon, and I am proud of the hard work that the Youth Service at Bucks County Council have been doing. I hope that despite the budget cuts, young people will continue to be inspired to be better citizens and ambitious adults!