The Children’s Charities Coalition hosted a Parliamentary drop-in session on January 24th to enable Parliamentarians to speak with young people about their priorities for the next government.
Young people attending the event at Parliament
The event was hosted by Tim Loughton MP and Emma Lewell-Buck MP, with a moving speech by Baroness Floella Benjamin. The event gave young people the crucial opportunity to speak directly to decision-makers and discuss the issues that impact their lives directly. Young people invited their local MPs and got the chance to talk about their personal experiences with their representatives. Supported by participation and policy teams from across the five charities, the Children’s Charities Coalition hosted 27 young people from across the UK and Northern Ireland.
Floella Benjamin and Tim Loughton speaking at the event
During the event, young people were asked to provide their handprint to our symbolic tablecloth, and parliamentarians were asked to write a quote on one of the quote boards about why children’s voices matter in policymaking, showing their commitment to the campaign.
Young person at the event adding their handprint to the tablecloth
The Parliamentary event saw 30 parliamentarians in attendance, which gave young people the opportunity to speak to many MPs and Peers directly about what they want to see from the next government. We are thrilled that we were able to bring young people to Parliament to engage with high-profile political decision-makers.