The Government invites young people interested in representing Gibraltar at the UK Youth Parliament to express their interest through an essay competition.

The UK Youth Parliament will sit on Friday 28 February in the House of Commons and the successful participant will be expected to deliver a short address from the despatch box. This session will be streamed live.

The theme this year is “Education and Learning: school/college and access to university and apprenticeships.”

Young people aged 16 -18 who are ordinarily resident in Gibraltar, and who are interested in this opportunity, are invited to submit a 500-800 word essay on the theme of the meeting.

The closing date for submissions is Friday 24 January 2025, and the essays should be sent to commonwealth@gibraltar.gov.gi

The submission should include the full name of the young person, the date of birth, the school or educational establishment, if applicable, and the full address along with contact email and mobile numbers.

The Government will fund the costs for the successful participant and a family member.

The competition is not open to anyone who has already participated in this event, in order to allow different young people to benefit from the experience, and the essays will again be judged by their peers from the Commonwealth Youth Association.

The Deputy Chief Minister, the Hon Dr Joseph Garcia, said: ‘This is an incredible opportunity for young Gibraltarians to gain direct experience of the democratic process in action. Indeed, they themselves voted on the topic of discussion when Sir Lindsay Hoyle visited Gibraltar in December. The Government is grateful to him for his ongoing commitment to youth engagement in politics, and strongly encourages everyone eligible to take part in the essay competition.’