Hampshire Youth Parliament Feb 2025 meeting

February 17th, marked the first in-person meeting for the Hampshire Youth Parliament (HYP), Councils, and Forum members in 2025. It was a day packed with insightful conversations, updates, and planning for the year ahead.

We kicked off the day with updates from our Members of UK Youth Parliament,  who have been incredibly busy across their constituencies, including securing some funding towards a health and wellbeing conference.

Throughout the day, we had several speakers linked to HYP’s Make Your Mark campaign topics: Crime and Safety, Health and Wellbeing, and Climate Change. Florence Smith, the Youth Engagement Officer from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, shared what the Youth Commission had been up to and their findings from the 2024 Big Conversation.

Next, we heard from Jade Burgess, #BeeWell Project Manager from Hampshire County Council, and Helen Coleman and colleagues from the Children in Care Team at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight. Jade updated us on the #BeeWell survey, while Helen and Janie discussed the ‘Re-booting democracy project.’ This project aimed to enable young people to influence health and social care policy and practice. They identified topics to explore, conducted research among their peers, and formulated recommendations. HYP took the top three recommendations and provided practical feedback on implementation: responding positively to vaping issues, offering more work experience options for young job seekers, and teaching about sexual and women’s health. HYP suggested a ‘one-stop shop’ website for work experience, removing ‘fun’ vape flavours, and changing vape packaging to resemble cigarette packaging.

Our final guest speaker was Emily Stroud, Senior Engagement Officer from Solent Seascape. Emily shared fascinating facts about climate change and the positive initiatives Solent Seascape is undertaking, including planning seagrass along the South Coast. HYP then worked in groups to create ideas for positive actions to support the environment, such as lesson plans for schools and beach clean-ups.

After lunch, HYP was joined by decision-makers, including Cllr Steve Forster, Executive Member for Education; Stephanie How, Deputy Director of Children’s Services at Hampshire County Council and Alice representing the Director of Public Health, who participated in conversations around the campaign areas, identifying key messages and actions to be taken forward.

All in all, it was a jam-packed day full of learning, positive conversations, and creative ideas. The next HYP in-person meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28th. If you are interested in joining, we are always looking for new members, so please get in touch. Contact Us | Hampshire Youth Parliament