Gibraltar to participate in UK Youth Parliament

The Government of Gibraltar has opened an essay competition for youngsters to represent Gibraltar at the UK Youth Parliament.

The UK Youth Parliament will sit on February 28 in the House of Commons, with the successful local participant to be expected to deliver a short address from the despatch box.

The session will be streamed live.

The theme this year is “Education and Learning: school/college and access to university and apprenticeships.”

Young people aged 16 -18 who are ordinarily resident in Gibraltar, and who are interested in this opportunity, are invited to submit a 500-800 word essay on the theme.

The closing date for submissions is January 22, and the essays should be sent to commonwealth@gibraltar.gov.gi

The submission should include the full name of the young person, their date of birth, the school or educational establishment, if applicable, and the full address along with contact email and mobile numbers.

The Government will fund the costs for the successful participant and a family member.

The competition is not open to anyone who has already participated in this event, in order to allow different young people to benefit from the experience, and the essays will again be judged by their peers from the Commonwealth Youth Association.

The Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, said: “This is an incredible opportunity for young Gibraltarians to gain direct experience of the democratic process in action.”

“Indeed, they themselves voted on the topic of discussion when Sir Lindsay Hoyle visited Gibraltar in December.”

“The Government is grateful to him for his ongoing commitment to youth engagement in politics, and strongly encourages everyone eligible to take part in the essay competition.”