The voice of young people in Portsmouth is a top priority for 16 year old Maheep Kaur, a member of Portsmouth’s Youth Cabinet and the city’s elected Member of UK Youth Parliament. Maheep recently met with two local Members of Parliament, Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, and Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, to discuss the important issues impacting young people in the city.
In October, Maheep met with Stephen Morgan MP to discuss the Youth Cabinet’s priorities, as well as the concerns raised by local young people through their recent surveys and consultations. As Portsmouth MYP Maheep makes it a top priority to understand in-depth the issues and challenges that young people in the city face, as well as hearing their thoughts on how those obstacles and situations can be overcome.
Maheep commented:
“The meeting was extremely pleasing, I really enjoyed it! I appreciated how Stephen adjusted his busy schedule to meet with me. I’m glad I had the opportunity to discuss ideas and actions that can make a real difference for young people. I was really excited when Stephen offered me the chance to spend a day with him. I’m looking forward to experiencing this and to experience what his day looks like as a MP.”
The in-depth discussion covered many topics that young people care about, and also allowed Stephen to discuss his priorities as both an MP and Minister, particularly his work on establishing Youth Hubs across the city. The meeting provided an opportunity for Maheep to engage in a productive dialogue around the initiatives that are most important to the young people that she engages with on a daily basis.
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MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan said:
“It’s been really helpful to hear from Maheep about the issues that young people in Portsmouth are facing as well as those which the Youth Cabinet are prioritising. Young people are the future of our city, our jobs market, and our economy, but I believe have not been provided with enough opportunities for a long time.”
“One of my priorities since being elected is to ensure Portsmouth young people are given the support, training and opportunities that they need to succeed and grow. I am pleased to see the work My Future in Portsmouth Youth Hub is doing to support more young people in my community, and help them into the world of work.”
Maheep later sat down with MP Amanda Martin at the end of November to share the results of the recent Make Your Mark Survey, a key tool used to understand the concerns of young people across the UK.
During the meeting, Maheep talked at length with Amanda about the results of the survey, and of the differing thoughts and opinions of the young people that took part. Maheep also highlighted the formation of the Youth Cabinet’s subgroups, with a particular focus on the Crime and Safety subgroup.
The important topics discussed included ensuring safety for women and girls in Portsmouth, the potential of police presence in schools to enhance safety and reassurance, and the importance of restorative justice practices.
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Maheep also introduced Amanda to the work of Unloc, our non-for-profit which originated in Portsmouth, and works around the country with young people to encourage youth voice, social action and entrepreneurship.
Unloc, working with Portsmouth City Council also facilitate the Primary Council of Portsmouth Students (PCoPS) and the Council of Portsmouth Students (CoPS), powerful youth forums which help young people to positively impact and shape the city’s education. Maheep explored opportunities for collaboration between the Youth Cabinet and these student forums to engage younger children across the city.
Reflecting on the meeting, Maheep said,
“It was lovely to meet Amanda for the first time and talk about our focuses. I really appreciate Amanda’s time and her willingness to support young people. I’m happy I was able to go over crime and safety topic, which is one of the subgroups from the three that Portsmouth Youth Cabinet is working on. It was lovely to hear an invitation for the Portsmouth Youth Cabinet to visit Amanda’s office once it’s been settled completely!
Both meetings mark a continued commitment to fostering strong connections between Portsmouth’s young people and local policymakers, with a focus on addressing their most pressing concerns and creating positive change in the community.
Having this direct communication with political leaders and young people can only serve to strengthen the voice of young people, ensuring that their concerns are heard and that the right opportunities in society are available to them,
For more information about the Youth Cabinet and their initiatives, please contact: [email protected]
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About Unloc
Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. The organisation’s mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. The organisation is focused on developing young people’s skills, enhancing their potential and boosting their determination to succeed.
Unloc works towards achieving its mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes to over 20,000 young people each year, including on entrepreneurship and self-employment, in our network of 250+ schools and colleges in the UK and beyond.
To find out more about Unloc and all our latest news visit: unloc.org.uk/news
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About the Portsmouth Youth Parliament
The Portsmouth Youth Cabinet (PYC), facilitated by Unloc and supported by Portsmouth City Council, seeks to represent all young people in the city, amplifying their voices and driving positive change. We are led by Portsmouth’s Member of UK Youth Parliament (MYP) who is a youth representative elected in a city-wide vote every two years, with the most recent elections having taken place in March 2024. For more information about the UK Youth Parliament, please see the National Youth Agency’s website.
Find out more about the Youth Cabinet on our Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/portsmouthyouthcabinet
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The ballots are counted, the seats are filled, and collectively, the entire country is waiting to see how the new government kicks into gear. It’s been a tumultuous time, a different election to any we’ve experienced before. So what did we, as specialists supporting young people to be changemakers, learn during this period?
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Covid, Brexit and Cost of Living – the last few years have felt like a rollercoaster; so young people felt compelled to get involved in the debate
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The General Election was an eye opener for many of us, and the Academic sector was no exception. Working with young people in schools and colleges across the country each day, we have seen young people more interested and invested in political debate during this year’s election (and whilst the data is not yet readily available, it’s expected that the chasm between 18-24 year olds and 65+ in terms of voter turnout will have shrunk).
‘Why is that?’ That’s a complicated question. There’s no doubt that we live in complex times, and young people – more than many other sections of society, have faced huge disruptions to their lives over the past four years, especially because of the Covid19 pandemic. Whilst many workers nationwide were furloughed, young people were expected to carry on and achieve just as much – all be it from the safety of their home, or behind protective screens, masks and social distancing in schools.
From their routines being abandoned, their educations hugely impacted, confinement inside the house during lockdowns, and perhaps most importantly – being isolated from their friends and peers at a time when socialisation is so vitally important to their development, their mental health and their sense of general wellbeing.
Add to this the perception of a lack of job opportunities and work experience for young people, housing costs soaring, waiting lists for mental health assessments and counselling reaching three years, Brexit and the Cost of Living crisis – many young people have felt like they’ve been strapped into a rollercoaster and thus (in the main) did one of two things; the majority engaged in this general election with vigour, energy and interest particularly motivated by their own recent rollercoaster-like lived experiences, or sadly, they disconnected altogether.
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Many young people were surprised to discover an Election can turn into a shouting match
Indeed this was never more evident here than during the series of televised election debates and Question Time specials, where the British public were witness to shouting, accusations, fingers in people’s faces, and aggressive and confrontational behaviour that many young people found surprising. In the build up to the election, we showed the BBC’s Election Debate highlights reel to hundreds of young people and the near-unanimous response was shock – is this how we ‘do’ politics in this country?
This feeling was emboldened by the campaign’s reliance on rhetoric; where conflation and confusion between what is truthful, facts or policy is mainstream. This ran counter to many of the young people I spoke to in the build up to 4th July, who were genuinely interested in talking about and debating the issues and policies that matter to them the most.
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I think young people expected more from the National Debate around the future of our country – yearned for more meaningful conversation and discussion. With Unloc’s Public Speaking and Debating programme as one of our core offers, we’ve shown young people for over a decade how to have constructive debate, embrace nuance and compassionately and considerately engage with people and situations where a difference of opinion is apparent.
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The top 5 things young people told us they want from the new government
At Unloc we proudly play an impartial role in connecting young changemakers to policymakers, politicians and activists – giving them access to those in society that can help make a difference, and helping to create platforms for young people’s voices to be heard. With the General Election announced far earlier than anyone expected, we recognised this eagerness in young people to be actively involved in what was happening, and identified that they had little platforms to do so. Whilst lots of these young people won’t have been old enough to vote this time around – it was evident that they have plenty to say about our future society.
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So, during the build up to the General Election, we invited young people from across our network to attend a series of events that provided space for them to meet with representatives from all major parties – and discuss, face to face, the issues they care about most.
Events were held in our Changemaker Studios: Westminster space and also in our Changemaker Studios: Portsmouth space, where respected members from the Labour Party, The Conservatives, The Green Party, The Liberal Democrats and Reform UK agreed to take part and face tough questions from young people in person. These events were the brainchild of Unloc’s Youth Board – instead of a traditional hustings or question time event, they wanted to give young people dedicated time with candidates in small groups, enabling discussions and conversations that go beyond the soundbites.
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Whilst a plethora of topics and issues were explored, here are the top 5 themes that were most prominent:
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1. Investing in Mental Health Services
Many young people feel that waiting lists for CAMHS support remain unjustifiably long and that schools remain under-resourced and under-prepared to properly meet the wellbeing needs of learners
2. Investing In Life Skills
A significant number of the young people feel that education needs yet further connectivity to industry and the wider world, so young people can better understand the relevance of their learning. At the same time, many feel knowledge critical to transitioning to adulthood should find its way into mainstream education including mortgages, savings, budgeting and personal nutrition.
3. Taking Action on Climate
Climate was a discussion on nearly every table during our General Election events. Young people on the whole want a more ambitious, exciting roadmap for taking action on climate change.
4. Ensuring House Ownership is Affordable
A significant number of young people shared their fears and concerns about the affordability of home ownership for their generation. Many expressed a desire for the government to do more to ensure young people can get on the property ladder, whilst also ensuring that critical infrastructure was in place (doctors, local services etc) if the Government was going to move forward with their house building plans.
5. A Government That Invests In Young People’s Participation
Lots of the audience spoke passionately about the wide chasm that exists between political decision makers and younger people. They want a government that invests in opportunities for young people to be democratically active and engaged in civic life.
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Supporting young people to be changemakers has never been more important
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As the new Labour Government kicks into gear over the coming months, we know that Unloc can continue to play a powerful role in connecting young changemakers with the policymakers that serve them. We met the Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, a few months ago, and pressed the message that the new Government needs to invest in young people as changemakers and directly invest in their ideas; unlocking their potential to be drivers of social progress and change.
Over the next five years, Unloc will continue to push to ensure young people are front and centre of future government policy.
We will continue to take an active part in giving young people a voice, connecting them with government and politics, with speaking and debating, and with leadership – and through our workshops, programmes, Changemaker grants and Changemaker Studios spaces – we will scale our support available to young people who step up as Changemakers.
Hayden Taylor is the 27-year old Chief Executive of Unloc
Huge congratulations to Maheep Kaur of Ark Charter Academy for winning the 2024 Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) elections. MYPs attend events such as national debates, government consultations, training days and planning events whey they amplify the voices of young constituents from their local areas.
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Each year, around 300 MYPs from across the country meet in the Houses of Commons to debate issues that affect young people, deciding on the national campaign for that year.
Unusually, Portsmouth also has a Youth Cabinet, led by the MYP, which seeks to represent the views of all young people in the city and work with decision makers to drive positive change. Funded by Portsmouth City Council, this initiative has gone from strength to strength.
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Jo Morgan from Engendering Change, runs the Youth Cabinet, Jo said:
“It has been such a joy to facilitate the power of youth voice to embed meaningful and lasting change in Portsmouth. Their work with asylum seeking children, LGBTQ young people and youth groups across the city has shown the incredible things that can happen when young people are empowered to connect with the community.”
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Their most recent project with Shaping Portsmouth, to create part-time job opportunities for teenagers has the potential to be transformative. Maheep stood against 3 other excellent candidates, all of whom will continue to work with the Youth Cabinet to drive positive change for young people in the city.
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Our victorious MYP election winner Maheep said:
“I want to make change happen and the MYP elections are a great opportunity for young people to have a chance to push that change. It has been an amazing experience to be a part of these elections. Teenagers often get a bad name, but we have proven how much good we can bring to the community. I will use my position to advocate for young people who do not have a voice, particularly those struggling at home or school and those suffering with mental health issues.
“Thank you so much to everyone who has been part of it and supported me for election! I’d love to give special thanks to my campaign team, my family and friends, teachers and schoolmates at Charter, all the youth cabinet and my peers. I promise to do my best and make the most out of my position.”
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Cllr Suzy Horton, Portsmouth City Council’s Cabinet Member for children, families and education, has championed the Youth Cabinet since its inception and been hugely supportive. Suzy said:
“We want our Youth Cabinet, working alongside the Member of Youth Parliament, to be an authentic voice of young people in shaping their experiences in the city through the work of the council and other decision makers. I have been both impressed and humbled by what this current Youth Cabinet has achieved in taking the big conversations around equalities, the environment and the world of work to the people with power. Huge congratulations to Maheep who will be a brilliant MYP’
Five young entrepreneurs have been named as finalists in the 2025 Young Entrepreneurs Challenge. Hit the link to find out who!
Find out all about our Public Speaking & Debating Short Course, providing young people with core skills to communicate and deliberate on important topics.
Unloc are working together with the highly respected Further Education specialists Rockborn in order to roll out an in-depth programme of events, training and bootcamps for the UK’s Student Governors.
Maheep Kaur, Portsmouth’s elected Member of UK Youth Parliament, recently met with 2 local Members of Parliament to discuss the issues impacting young people.
Five young entrepreneurs have been named as finalists in the 2025 Young Entrepreneurs Challenge. Hit the link to find out who!
Find out all about our Public Speaking & Debating Short Course, providing young people with core skills to communicate and deliberate on important topics.
Unloc are working together with the highly respected Further Education specialists Rockborn in order to roll out an in-depth programme of events, training and bootcamps for the UK’s Student Governors.
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