News

The Parliament Office has officially launched its 7th Annual Youth Parliament which is expected to see the largest participation since the inception of this event. 

This year, there will be 40 participants in the junior category and 46 in the senior category.

Seeking to expand Youth Parliament, and to make it more inclusive, Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Manzoor Nadir, M.P., last year, launched the Speaker’s Annual Youth Debating Competition, which is a feeder into Youth Parliament participation. 

This year, Speaker Nadir has extended an invitation to the University of the West Indies to participate in the senior category of the debates. 

The 7th Annual Youth Parliament will be held from August 12-18 with the motto “Our Generation, Our Voice to Inspire, Encourage, Impact". 

This year’s activities will adapt a hybrid format with a virtual opening and training sessions from Friday, August 12, to Monday, August 15, 2022. Physical sittings will be held in the Chamber of the Public Buildings, Brickdam, Georgetown, on Wednesday, August 17, and Thursday, August 18, 2022. 

The Youth Parliamentarians will benefit from training, before the August 17 & 18 Sittings, in Parliamentary Etiquette and Decorum, the Role of Members of Parliament, Branches of Government, and the Art of Public Speaking, among others. 

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance and Government Chief Whip, Hon. Gail Teixeira, M.P., will conduct a special preliminary session on drafting motions. 

Developing elocution skills, ensuring young people are involved in parliamentary democracy, and edifying the population about the function of Parliament are reasons Youth Parliament, among other initiatives, were implemented by the Parliament Office. This was a sentiment expressed by the Parliamentary Executive Officer and Co-ordinator of Youth Parliament, Ms. Carlleta Charles, during the launch. 

This year, the participants will select the motions for their robust debates. Those motions will deal with topical matters that affect society as a whole.  

Youth Parliament began in 2015 during the Speakership of Hon. Raphael Trotman. The event was, at the time, hosted in observation of Commonwealth Day. 

Public Relations Officer, Mr. Yannick December, and Clerk of Committees, Ms. Sereeta Bethune, were also present at the launch.