A Castle Rushen High School student made a speech about the Isle of Man’s economy and the challenges faced to retain school leavers in the House of Commons in a special segment of the UK Youth Parliament on Friday 28^th February.

Daisy Arnold, was selected to represent the Isle of Man after she applied in an open application process. She spoke at the despatch box alongside representatives from other Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. These jurisdictions are not represented in the UK Parliament, or the UK Youth Parliament, and were invited by The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP.

Daisy began her speech by discussing how the Island supports young people to engage with parliament, when she said:
“In 2006 the Isle of Man, in line with the ongoing work of the government to engage young people with politics, reduced the age to vote to 16, so it is an honour and a privilege to represent the Island today at [the UK] Youth Parliament.”

The Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories representatives spoke on behalf of their peers on a topic their fellow young citizens had chosen in the ‘Make Your Mark’ vote. This democratic process asked young people across all secondary schools to choose from a selection of issues, and cast a vote for what was of most concern to them. For students in the Isle of Man, ‘Jobs, the Economy and Benefits’ received the most votes cast and this was also reflected in the final results for all the Crown Dependencies. The topic that was of most concern in the British Overseas Territories was ‘Education and Learning’.

The special sitting of the UK Youth Parliament can be watched at:
https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/dccbb170-d1f0-46da-b19b-9b2fe827d3e9

Following her return from attending UK Youth Parliament, Daisy expressed her gratitude for the opportunity it presented. She said:
“Attending Youth Parliament was a true once in a lifetime experience. I enjoyed the whole day from start to finish but my favourite part was meeting the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who was lovely and made us all feel welcome.
The Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies were invited to lunch in his private quarters and he showed us round, even where the royals can sleep if they choose but most of the time his cat sleeps in there!
I really enjoyed chatting to Owen, the representative from Tristan Da Cunha, who at aged just ten, was the youngest person to speak in the House of Commons.
The event gave me the chance to have some interesting conversations with the representatives from the other Crown Dependencies, where they face many of the same challenges as the Isle of Man.”

Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP has agreed that every year, young people from the Crown Dependencies will be invited to the UK Youth Parliament to represent their home and to speak in the House of Commons Chamber on behalf of their fellow young citizens. Details will be sent direct to schools and published on the Tynwald website at: https://www.tynwald.org.im/learn

Attending the UK Youth Parliament is one of the many opportunities for young people from the Isle of Man to become involved in parliamentary affairs. Details of other activities for young people can be found on the Tynwald website: https://www.tynwald.org.im/learn

Image: Daisy Arnold and Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, on the steps of Westminster Hall.

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For further information contact:

Office of the Clerk of Tynwald
Telephone: 01624 685500
Email: enquiries@tynwald.org.im
Website: www.tynwald.org.im