Question: What does the UKYP do?

Andy Hamflett: The UKYP provides a voice for young people in the UK. We provide a network through which young people are elected by peers and then represent their views at a local, regional and national level.

Some of our key aims are to support young people in being active citizens, promote a positive image of young people within society, and to generally promote the presence of democratically elected structures in society, so that people can more actively engage with them.

Question: What are some of the UKYP’s current campaigns?

Andy Hamflett: We are a youth-led organisation, so all the issues and campaigns are decided by our young members.

This year, the key national campaigns are, sex and relationships education because they feel that the teaching they get in schools is not good enough or relevant to them.

They also want to look at transport, on three levels. One, affordability of transport. Two, the availability of transport in rural areas, which is sometimes limited. Three, how they are treated and respected (or not) by other people on public transport. Also, they are looking very closely at votes at 16, the proposal that the voting age should be brought down to 16, which they are very much in favour of.

Visit www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk to find out more about all their campaigns and how they're taking them forward.

Question: How receptive do you find government to the messages of young people?

Andy Hamflett: I think that there has been a major shift in the last 10 years or so. This has meant that there has been a real effort by government to listen to and understand the views and opinions of young people. There are also more structures put in place, both locally and nationally for young people to get their views across.

For example, every local authority across the country has a youth participation team, and do really great work locally to involve young people. Regional bodies are also beginning to make more effort to listen to young people.

The structures are there, so now the challenge is what happens to those voices once they are presented, because young people need to feel that their voices are being listened to, and more importantly, acted upon.

There have been positive results, especially at a local level, but nationally, where policy making becomes a more convoluted process, it can be harder to decipher what impact young people have. But we're working on it.

Question: Is there anything in Brown’s plans for constitutional reform that might appeal to young people?

Andy Hamflett: There are lots of positive signs coming from Gordon Brown’s premiership. Within the Governance of Britain paper there is lots in there about youth citizenship and reconnecting the community with politics, particularly with youth. It's good that they've set their stall out, as it were, so early. There is a lot of detail to come, so we'll look at that and respond to it when we can.

There is also the Ten-Year Youth strategy which has recently been launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Youth leadership is prominent in that, and there is a youth citizenship commission coming up too. So, youth is definitely on the agenda, but as always, the key will be in the detail

Question: Should young people be given more control over the youth budget?

Andy Hamflett: Yes, within responsible financial structures. Where local authorities do best is when they get young people heavily involved in the design and delivery of services.

A lot of the young people we work with are furious when so called 'youth initiatives' are in the wrong area or do not provide the services they want and need.

Resources are wasted when authorities do not properly consult with the local communities, and it is ultimately, a financially prudent move to fully consult with young people about what they want and how it should be delivered. With the Youth Opportunity Fund, where young people are involved in deciding where the money goes, is very much the way forward.

Question: Some journalists have argued that Ming Campbell was forced from his post as a leader of the Lib Dems by ageism- do you have to be young to appeal to young people?

Andy Hamflett: I hope that Ming Campbell wasn't forced from his post by ageism, because if we live in a state where age is more important in our politicians than the skills and experience they offer, then we have a real problem.

I don't think that you do necessarily have to be young to appeal to young people. What you do need to have is the interest in listening to young people and the skills to do so.

It is also important to understand that young people do not necessarily have a great deal of experience with policy, and can be frustrated by the sometimes slow process that policy making can be.

Question: What can the government learn from UKYP?

Andy Hamflett: UKYP is now trying to consult more people and put even more thought into our presentations to government.

For example, the Sex and Relationships Education report was based on consultations with 22,000 young people.This kind of thorough consultation, coupled with thought-out, reasoned arguments, is what we’ll be doing a lot more of in the months and years ahead.

This should make it easier for government to be able to work this evidence into their legislation. One key thing that we can learn from young people is that you don't have to be interested in becoming a politician to engage with politics.

It’s also important that government continue to listen to us and work out what is best for young people, and who is best placed to deliver services to them.

Question: Any final messages for ePolitix readers?

Andy Hamflett: It is important to remember that young people bring new views and insights on issues we are all concerned with, like teenage pregnancy or reconnecting politics with the community. What young people offer is new solutions to pre-existing problems.

If you want to know who your member of Youth Parliament is, get in touch.