Young politician talks at Youth Parliament

15 year old Ryan from Glenavy will debate the promotion of modern languages in schools alongside counterparts from across the UK and Northern Ireland.

He attended a special reception in Parliament Buildings on Tuesday 30 June organised by Politics Plus to celebrate and recognise the important work carried out by local Youth Parliament Members.

The young people who have routinely attended the annual sitting of the Youth Parliament with their UK counterparts had been informed earlier this year that funding to support their participation was no longer available.

Recognising the crucial role these young people play in national youth politics, Politics Plus, in conjunction with the British Youth Council will sponsor their involvement in this year’s 15th sitting of the Youth Parliament in Exeter.

Speaking at this evening’s reception, Dr Gareth McGrath, Executive Director of Politics Plus said: “We are delighted to welcome the local Members of the Youth Parliament to Parliament Buildings this evening and to hear more about their work and the issues that are important to them.

“These young people will be our leaders of the future and it is essential that we do everything we can to encourage and promote their efforts in the political sphere.

“We are incredibly lucky in Northern Ireland to have such talented and politically ambitious young people and we at Politics Plus are privileged to help further their knowledge and understanding of government and public life.”

Launched in 2013, Politics Plus encourages engagement between elected representatives and public officials at all levels of government; strengthens the role of women in political and public life; and delivers international development and exchange programmes for elected representatives and public officials in states affected by conflict and instability.