A 'momentous event' in Parliament

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Abiodun Olatokun, Member of Youth Parliament for Birmingham, speaks to ePolitix.com ahead of the UK Youth Parliament session in the House of Commons.

What are the aims and objectives of the UK Youth Parliament?

The UK Youth Parliament is the democratic voice of young people. We operate usually by attachment to local youth groups and councils and attempt to persuade decision makers and professional politicians to create policy which takes the views of young people into consideration.

In Birmingham, for example, we are currently liaising with council leaders to find ways to preserve activities for young people in our area. It is not a completely homogenous body, however. Different work goes on in different regions and local campaigns can be very varied.

Our three national campaigns are as follows; political education for young people so that they can make educated decisions about the political process, getting a viable solution introduced so that all young people who want to go to university can do so, and creating a universally accepted method of subsidising travel for young people under the age of 18.

What issues will be debated at this year's UK Youth Parliament session in the House of Commons?

This year we will be debating five issues, determined by over 2,500 young people aged 11-18.

These are:

1. Should sex and relationships education be compulsory from primary school onwards?

2. Should university tuition fees rise?

3. Should the school leaving age be raised to 18 immediately in order to lower youth unemployment?

4. Should we withdraw all British troops from Afghanistan by 2012?

5. Should reduced transport fares for young people be protected from spending cuts?

Which debate will you be involved with? Why was this issue chosen as a subject of debate?

I will be the debate lead for 'Should we withdraw all British troops from Afghanistan by 2012?'

When young people voted to determine the issues that would be debated at this House of Commons session, war, as a broad, over-arching topic, came up as a highly important point of discussion.

The more specific options that were suggested as potential debates, alongside the question of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, were: 'Was the war in Iraq illegal?' and 'Can war ever be justified?'

The debate leads were chosen – myself and two other young people. We could only find disagreement, in a distinct and diametrically opposed fashion, on the issue of withdrawal from Afghanistan. On all other issues we were in broad agreement.

We have drafted our speeches and are awaiting the debate with excitement. I am sure it will be passionate and heated.

Why is it important that the members of the UK Youth Parliament can meet and debate in the House of Commons?

It is very important that we are able to debate in the House of Commons.

There will be highly passionate and emotive young people, altering the way that politics is discussed, in the building that represents the centre of British democracy. This can assist in countering the growing disaffection with the political process that young people, and the public as a whole, have recently demonstrated.

The UK Youth Parliament's presence in the House of Commons will show that there are other dedicated activists, in addition to Westminster politicians, who care about political issues and can voice their opinions in an enthusiastic and articulate manner.

Politics is much more than the traditional image of Westminster.

It is vitally important that young people have the opportunity to articulate their views on issues of political importance. The fact that this is happening in the House of Commons means that both the political elites and the general public will be aware of the work that the Youth Parliament does.

We will be debating issues that have often been marginalised in Westminster and so this is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the concerns of not just young people, but the nation as a whole.

This is why the UK Youth Parliament sitting in the House of Commons is a truly momentous event.

What do you feel Members of Parliament could learn from their counterparts in the UK Youth Parliament?

Political discourse can appear, at times, to be very adversarial, with different tribes constantly disagreeing and disputing issues in a closed and narrow fashion.

Members of the Youth Parliament will be discussing issues that matter to young people in a manner that is passionate but also open.

Perhaps MPs will watch us, be inspired to say what they truly think and not necessarily toe the party line!

Over 300 young people from across the UK are set to debate in the House of Commons chamber on Friday 29th October.

Members of Youth Parliament, aged 11-18, will debate issues including the cost of university, sex education in schools and war.

Please view more information on the UK Youth Parliament website.

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