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Youth gain political experience at B.C.’s legislature

The British Columbia Youth Parliament is after 95 fine young men and women to visit Victoria this Christmas.

The British Columbia Youth Parliament is after 95 fine young men and women to visit Victoria this Christmas.

Participants will debate important service projects to benefit the youth of the province and put those plans in place in 2013.

The organization is calling on community and youth leaders across the province to nominate exceptional young people to take part in this important opportunity.

“BCYP is education and community service in action,” said Sarah O’Connor, premier for the upcoming year of BCYP. “We’re after young people who want to learn more about our system of government, make lifelong friends, and take part in projects that benefit our province’s youth.

“We’re asking community leaders, elected officials, and others to think about young people who’d be great members of this organization and make sure those youth are aware of this opportunity.”

The British Columbia Youth Parliament is a non-partisan, non-demoninational service organization.

It plans, fundraises for, and puts in place service projects that help improve the lives of young people. These include group community service events, partnerships with community service organizations, regional model parliaments and individual youth volunteer projects.

Members spend time at the B.C. legislature in Victoria between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day every year to debate and vote on the organization’s proposed activities and issues of local, national, and international importance.

All members sit as independents, and are free to vote according to their conscience on the issues.

Potential BCYP members will be: between 16 and 21 years of age; residents of the province for the past year; able to commit to a year’s worth of service; and interested in learning more about how the democratic system works.

More information and membership applications are available online at www.bcyp.org.

Application deadline is Oct. 23.