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Youngsters debate in House of Commons
EIGHT teenagers from South Yorkshire have made history after taking part in a series of debates in the House of Commons.
Around 350 members of UK Youth Parliament, aged between 12 and 18, discussed topics ranging from tuition fees and youth crime to unemployment and free transport.
Commons Speaker John Bercow opened proceedings by telling the massed ranks of elected youngsters they were the first body of people other than MPs to debate in the Commons chamber.
He praised the UK Youth Parliament for being "substantially more representative" than the current make-up of the House of Commons.
Sheffield's MYPs – Members of Youth Parliament – at the debate were Emma Fiddler and Harrison Carter.
Barnsley was represented on the famous green benches by Alex Donald and Clare Coles, Rotherham by Sarah Hale and George Foster and Doncaster by Ashleigh Kincell and Anya Duckill.
Harrison Carter, 16, a member of Youth Parliament for Sheffield and a Meadowhead school pupil, said: "Walking in the chamber today, I felt like I weighed four million tonnes. It was nervewracking.
"Young people have a message. We can put this on a national stage and decision makers can do something about it.
"There were excellent debates in there. You wouldn't get that from a government minister."
Alex Donald said: "I felt very nervous but immensely proud.
"Young people are a lot more impassioned."
MYPs are elected in annual youth elections.
Any young person aged 11 to 18 is entitled to stand or vote and in the past two years and one million young people have voted in elections.
A small group of Tory backbenchers led an attempt to keep the Youth Parliament out of the chamber but were defeated earlier this year – allowing the group 'one-off' access following their use of the House of Lords in 2008.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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