1. Joint item with the Welsh Youth Parliament

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 1:08 pm on 24 February 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

(Translated)

Thank you, Llywydd. It's a privilege to be able to represent the young people of Cardiff Central once again, and it's difficult to believe that it has been two years since our first national meeting, where we selected our three priorities. Since then, we've raised a number of issues that are important to young people in making Wales a better place in which to grow up as a young person. 

However, we wouldn't have been able to do this during the pandemic without the assistance of Members of the Senedd and Welsh Government Ministers. Over the past few months, the First Minister, the Minister for Education, the Minister for health and the Counsel General have all given of their time to meet with us virtually on a number of occasions. The opportunity to meet with Ministers, committee Chairs, the children's commissioner and the future generations commissioner has been invaluable.

The opportunity for us, as Members, to question those who represent us about exams, mental health support and job opportunities during the pandemic means that we can provide answers to young people who are concerned about their future. The Minister for Education has also given so much of her time in discussing the implications of delaying exams, as well as gathering our views on online learning. Again, the opportunity to articulate the views of young people to Members of the Senedd and Ministers has allowed their views to be taken into account when choices are being made. On behalf of all Members of the Welsh Youth Parliament, I thank you sincerely for your time.

We, as Members, have also been very fortunate to appear on various media platforms in Wales. During our time as Members, my colleagues and I have appeared on Radio Cymru to discuss our work, including our recommendations for a new curriculum and mental health support for young people. This has been instrumental in raising awareness among young people of our work, and in discussing issues with pupils, teachers and parents in all parts of Wales. In addition to this, I was very lucky to be able to appear on Wales Live with Hannah Blythyn and Andrew R.T. Davies in order to discuss votes at 16 and the representation of young people in politics. Finally, Betsan Angell and I appeared on Heno when we released our report on life skills in the curriculum. It was a privilege to be able to discuss our recommendations and our hopes for the new curriculum.

Therefore, in conclusion, I'd like to thank all the journalists and Members of the Senedd who have helped to raise awareness of our work. We really appreciate this. Together, we've succeeded in taking action to improve the lives of young people in Wales as we recover from this turbulent period. Thank you very much.