PRESS RELEASE : UK Youth Parliament Grant awarded to the British Youth Council [March 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 8 March 2023.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has awarded the British Youth Council the UK Youth Parliament Grant for 2023-25.
About the award
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provides funding for the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) which is made up of approximately 300 elected Members of Youth Parliament aged between 11 and 18 years. Young people are elected to represent the views of young people in their local areas to government and national and local youth service providers. They are elected on the basis of their manifestos rather than on a party political basis and meet regularly to hold debates and plan campaigns on a local and national level, which includes an annual debate in the House of Commons.
DCMS has relaunched the UK Youth Parliament programme to increase engagement with young people from across the UK, including with more marginalised young people and those that may not normally take part in a youth voice programme.
The re-launch also brings together the successful elements of the previous DCMS Youth Engagement Grant, under the banner of the UK Youth Parliament. The new programme aims to build the UK Youth Parliament into an established part of the policymaking and parliamentary process, with direct access to decision makers, and improve feedback and recognition to young people.
DCMS remains committed to funding this important opportunity, enabling young people to express their voices and be heard on issues that matter to them.
DCMS ran an open grant competition to deliver the re-launched UK Youth Parliament for April 2023 until March 2025, and invited organisations in England to apply for the funding.
Grant award
Following a competitive application process, we are pleased to announce that the grant has been awarded to the British Youth Council (BYC), who previously held the grant to deliver the UK Youth Parliament.
The British Youth Council was created to empower young people aged 25 and under to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. They support young people to get involved in their communities and democracy locally, nationally and internationally, making a difference as volunteers, campaigners, decision-makers and leaders. The UK Youth Parliament remains their key programme for supporting young people to be involved in democratic processes and to have their voices heard in policy and decision making.
Minister for Civil Society and Youth Stuart Andrew said:
We’re looking forward to working with the British Youth Council once again to deliver the UK Youth Parliament. Youth Parliament is an incredible platform which enables young people to have their voices heard to represent the views of young people across the country.
We value young people’s contribution to decision making at the highest levels and understand this leads to impactful policy locally, regionally and nationally. This government remains committed to supporting meaningful youth engagement via this grant.
Jo Hobbs MBE, Chief Executive of the British Youth Council said:
We are delighted to be continuing to work with DCMS and UK Parliament on the delivery of the UK Youth Parliament programme. At the British Youth Council we are proud of our history in developing and delivering this work with and for young people across the UK. Young people being heard and engaged at the heart of decision making is crucial to ensuring that no young person is left behind.
