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Well, it’s been another busy couple of weeks in the Youth Parliament with plenty happening and going, so I thought it about time I gave another update!

Hot off the press, well email account..., is my latest update regarding the UK Youth Parliament. Those of your who have been keeping up to date recently will know that around the country the wider public and Members of the Youth Parliament have been voting on our priorities and plans for the year ahead. Well, finally the result is in and therefore I can report the national priorities for the next year for UKYP. They are:

- To incorporate political education into the secondary education curriculum

The year in office for Gloucestershire Members of Youth Parliament is now well under way, having now completed 100 days since our election way back in January. Up and down the country much has been happening in the national UK Youth Parliament movement with plenty to talk about and work to be pressing on with.

Just after 9pm on 16 March – and following over two hours of robust debate – Members of Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to allow Members of Youth Parliament to sit and debate in the House of Commons chamber this year.

For the past two weeks, the UK Youth Parliament’s proposed use of the House of Commons chamber has been rising up the agenda in the House of Commons, as it has been formally proposed (and opposed) on a number of occasions.

After lots of to-ing and fro-ing, an hour-long debate took place in the House of Commons on Thursday 12th March.

This weekend saw 70 young people under the guidance of 25 youth workers descend upon the grounds of Skern Outdoor Center on the North Devon coast. Defying popular media culture, assumption and stereotype, the weekend was not spent terrorising the local population from the nearest street corner but more in the name of representing young people and their role in the world of politics.

Following on from my recent update on the 18th about UKYP, this weekend I, along with the other 5 members of the Gloucestershire team and about 70-odd members from across the South-West, took part in a UKYP residential on the North Devon coast. The weekend was a great success and a lot of fun, with not only some great team building activities to get to know members from the rest of the region but completing a large amount of business and workshops ranging from public speaking to the effects of terrorism on young people.

Following the elections for the UK Youth Parliament in Gloucestershire and subsequent results earlier this year, the Gloucestershire team has been hard at work, steadily making progress as the term of office gets underway. So far this year we have had several regular meetings at our base in Cheltenham as well was a group residential in South Wales.

Following a fantastic evening, celebrating the achievements of the outgoing MYPs, the results of the 2009 Elections were announced by Mark Harper MP, Martin Horwood MP and Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP at the Council Chamber, Shire Hall, Gloucester on Thursday, 29 January.

Following the voting within Polling Stations across the county last week, the votes are in and counted!

The outgoing MYPs will celebrate their year and achievements at the Election Results Event on Thursday, 29 January within the Council Chamber, Shire Hall, Gloucester between 6.30 - 8.30 pm.

During the 2nd half of this event, the exciting announcement of the successful 2009 Candidates will take place.

Watch this space to discover the names of your newly elected MYPs!