Young people in Milton Keynes have their say at the Big Youth Debate 2018

More than 70 young people from Milton Keynes took part in this year's Big Youth Debate earlier this month at Stadium MK.
The Big DebateThe Big Debate
The Big Debate

The event, which was organised by MK Youth Cabinet, focused on the six big projects of the MK Futures Commission – Growth and Strategy; MK:U; Learning 2050; Smart, Shared and Sustainable Mobility; Renaissance:CMK; Creative and Cultured City.

The day kicked off with a series of presentations by each of the project’s leaders, before the young people split up into groups and discussed and developed their own thoughts and ideas about the future of Milton Keynes.

The lead member of each of the six MK Futures projects returned in the afternoon to form a panel chaired by members of MK YCAB.

Young people were invited to quiz the panel members for an hour, asking questions relating to Milton Keynes’ future and sharing their own thoughts and feelings about how they want MK to develop.

Roz Mascarenhas, youth participation worker at MK Council, said: “It was fantastic to see so many young people having their say on the future of our city, and providing them with an opportunity to quiz some of MK’s decision makers.”

Students joined forces from Stantonbury, Hazeley, Oakgrove, Sir Herbert Leon and Radcliffe joined forces to get their voices heard.

The young people in attendance also had the opportunity to meet local community organisations and charities, such as Thames Valley Police, Brook sexual health clinic, Young Carers MK and Compass.

Nominations are now open for the MK Youth Cabinet 2019 – closing on 29 November. Download the application form online.