Yesterday, the newly-elected Hackney Youth Parliament 2021-2022 held a Question Time event at Forest Road Youth Hub where they got to introduce themselves and their manifestos to dozens of other young people all across the borough, held debates on youth issues affecting the community, and announced their plans for future campaigns.

There was much fun to be had, with gift vouchers to be won for teams that debated well, a raffle, and of course, lots of delicious food.

The whole event was organised by the Youth Parliament members themselves, with attendees enjoying a variety of activities encouraging them to take part in future HYP forums.

Everyone who attended had positive things to say about why they came to the event, such as wanting to “engage with people [her] age and what they’re doing” (Victoria, 17), “coming to show support for the community” (Maariya, 17), and “seeing others motivated about issues” (Cara, 16), and all said they had fun and this event made them want to come back and attend future Hackney Youth Parliament meetings.

If you would like to be involved in helping to create positive change for young people, and for information on future meetings, please contact the Hackney Youth Parliament at hyp@hackney.gov.uk or tweet the Young Speakers of Hackney at @YSHackney.