5. Statement by the Llywydd: Update on the establishment of a Youth Parliament for Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:21 pm on 23 May 2018.

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Photo of Elin Jones Elin Jones Plaid Cymru 4:21, 23 May 2018

Well, thank you for that. You're our youngest Assembly Member, Jack Sargeant, and I hope you'll be the greatest champion for ensuring that people of your generation and slightly younger than your generation are interested in becoming members of the very first youth parliament here, but, equally, I hope that the oldest amongst you here as well are also big champions of electing into the youth parliament.

You raise a really interesting prospect of the youth parliament developing its own manifesto, its own set of policy ideas for it to pursue, but also to pursue with us, as the Parliament, as well. As I've said earlier, it'll be for the youth parliament to decide on how it does its work, but I'm sure it'll want to reflect on discussions that it has with us as elected Members. I'm sure there will be a very early relationship struck between the constituency Assembly Member for Alyn and Deeside and the constituency member for Alyn and Deeside in the youth parliament, just as there will be for the rest of us. So, having that dialogue regionally and on a constituency basis will be important in the relationship that develops between us as Assembly Members and them as young parliamentarians.

Ensuring that the work that we do with our young parliamentarians, that there is training and support for them, and that they then can become champions in their own areas for political engagement, for developing the next generation of parliamentarians, those that will follow them as well, and the work that they do within their schools and colleges as well—that all opens up a political discussion and engagement that we haven't had in Wales with young people. And that all of it can be possible with the establishment, the election, of our very first youth parliament here—.