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What is the Youth Parliament?

Plymouth Youth Parliament enables young people aged 11 to 18 years across the City of Plymouth to come together once a week to enable us to use our energy and passion to change the world for the better.

Plymouth elects two Members and two Deputy Members of Youth Parliament every February. Candidates campaign on an issue important to them such as mental health awareness or job opportunities. Elections are then held in all secondary schools and colleges across the City and young people vote for who they would like to be their new representatives for the year.

In 2022, over 10,000 young people voted in the Plymouth candidate election.

You may be interested in our election documents including:

Elections policy

If you have any further questions, please contact the Participation Team on 01752 308900.

Youth Parliament Candidates

Group of young people and the Lord Mayor with a banner saying Plymouth Youth Parliament
Group of young people and the Lord Mayor with a banner saying Plymouth Youth Parliament

Youth Cabinet

The weekly meetings are also attended by the Plymouth Youth Cabinet – a city wide youth forum open to all 11 to 18 year olds that aims to represent the views and concerns of all young people across Plymouth and feed into local and national consultations to ensure the voices of young people are heard by decision makers.

Every year young people have the opportunity to vote which issue is most important to them in a ballot known as ‘Make Your Mark’. The ballot culminates in a series of debates at the House of Commons every November on the top five issues nationally and we send our two Members of Youth Parliament to the event. After the debates, a vote is held to decide which two issues should become the UK Youth Parliament’s priority campaigns for the next year.

You can find out more on the UKYP Facebook page.

Group of young people and the Lord Mayor and Lord Mayor's consort

Members of the Plymouth Youth Cabinet with the Lord Mayor and Lord’s Mayor’s consort 2022