Tanara Oliveira/News Staff
From Dec. 27 to 31, 97 people between the ages of 16 and 21, hailing from various corners of British Columbia, are set to make their mark in the B.C. legislature as they participate in the 95th session of the British Columbia Youth Parliament (BCYP).
During this week-long event, these emerging leaders will serve as representatives for their respective communities, immersing themselves in the intricacies of parliamentary democracy, engaging in community service, and forging connections with their peers that promise to endure a lifetime.
Established in 1924, BCYP stands as a non-partisan, youth-driven community service organization. Each year, its members convene to deliberate on the organization’s forthcoming projects, presented in the form of government legislation. Each member operates independently and is afforded the opportunity to scrutinize, amend, and cast votes on these projects in alignment with their own perspectives.
This year, the cabinet is putting forth two significant initiatives, Regional Youth Parliaments and Camp Phoenix. The Regional Youth operate at a smaller, municipal level and offer high school-aged students the chance to partake in a simulation of the Westminster Parliamentary system within their local communities. The Regional Youth Parliaments for this year include the Fraser Youth Parliament (comprising all municipalities from Burnaby to Hope), Vancouver Youth Parliament, Islands Youth Parliament (encompassing Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands), and Interior Youth Parliament.
Serving as the flagship service project of the organization, Camp Phoenix is a summer camp run by BCYP members, providing underprivileged children with the opportunity to experience camp life.
“We are very excited to bring the voices of the youth of British Columbia back into the Chamber for another year,” said Megan Ryan-Lloyd of Victoria, who will serve as premier of the BC Youth Parliament. “BCYP has a unique combination of service and parliamentary education; we use our legislative process to debate the fine details of the service projects we hope to implement in our communities across the province.”
