Chloe SmithMP for Norwich North
Chloe SmithMember of Parliament for Norwich North and YMCA Parliamentary Patron, Chloe Smith, joined with young people and colleagues in marking the launch of the YMCA 2015 Manifesto.
The event, which took place in the Houses of Parliament, saw the publication of the Manifesto which calls on MPs from all parties to put the needs and interests of young people at the heart of policy-making. As all political parties are preparing to release their own manifestos for the upcoming general election, the YMCA called for young people not to be forgotten.
The 30 page manifesto, ‘We Believe’ which draws on the experience and opinions of young people across the country, highlights five key areas for change: housing and accommodation, family work, health and wellbeing, training and education, democracy and youth engagement.
Recommendations made in the manifesto, range from a need to build more affordable housing, through to proposals for a ‘Help to Rent’ scheme which could help more young people negotiate the challenges of saving for a deposit and costly monthly rents as well as better mental health support and incentives to encourage companies to take on more young apprentices.
The launch comes ahead of the a general election hustings, co-hosted by the YMCA in Norwich, taking place:
15th April
18:00
OPEN venue, Norwich
Speaking after the event, Chloe commented:
“I have fought hard as a local MP both in Norwich and around the country to rally young people into engaging with politics and our democracy, and the work of the YMCA is invaluable in giving them a powerful voice.
"There are lots of ideas in this manifesto which you might agree or disagree with, and now is the time to get involved. There'll be a special hustings event co-hosted by the YMCA in Norwich too.
"As a Parliamentary patron of the YMCA, I was pleased to welcome YMCA Norfolk to Parliament."