Searching question

Children's Express meets Members of the Youth Parliament to find out what a difference those three little letters - MYP - can make.

Building better relations between the police and South London teens sounds like an impossible mission.

But 17-year-old Lee Hine is convinced it can be done. And the MYP believes that the key is to tell young people more about their rights. ''We don't actually have great police relations in Lewisham," he says, "but they are starting to be rebuilt.''

Lee's helping to launch Know Your Rights, an information card that tells people about what the police can and can't do when they search you.

Lee believes all young people should know their rights. Picture © Neville Williams

Stop and search is a major issue in London, as black and Asian youths believe they are targeted more than their white counterparts. Lee says: "Young people carry this card so they know their rights. Even if you've done something wrong at least you know how to approach it right."

Lee is involved in the local Youth Forum, a group of young people who question and interview the police on their practices.

One of the initiatives that the police have suggested is making young people aware of crime in the area.

"We actually don't trust the police," says Lee, "but they have started to take groups of us out in their squad cars so that we can see crime being committed and see what they have to deal with."

The Youth Forum has helped teenagers tell the police how they feel about stop and search.

Lee is so positive about the card that he carries it with him at all times.

"It's a really good card. It's bright, attractive and simple to read, and you know what your rights are."

As part of their agenda for action, the UKYP called for stop and search leaflets like Lee's to be distributed in schools.

They also called for police officers to carry them and show them to young people before carrying out their search so they know their rights.

Jamie Brett's biggest achievement is beating off teenage competition in the East Midlands to be here. At just 11 years old the Northampton schoolboy is the youngest person attending the national sitting.

Jamie wouldn't mind being Prime Minister one day. Picture © Neville Williams

"It took me a lot of courage to go up against 18 year-olds," he said, describing the election he won. "But I was so interested in politics that I thought this could be my big break."

As an MYP he's already set up closer links between young people and the police in his area, and his ambition is to step into Tony Blair's shoes

He recently told his personal social health education (PSHE) teacher that he wants to study more about politics and government.

"Everything that goes on in politics involves us," he says. "At least once a week they have a discussion about us which involves us that we don't have a say in. So it's really about getting our voice heard."

London MYPs have ambitions on the pop charts by releasing a record to mark Global Peace One Day.

Umar Kankiya, 17, is in charge of publicity for the September release, which will feature a chorus of London children and teenagers singing alongside West End musical stars.

He's enthusiastic about the sound they've been developing with Lion King musical director Clement Ishmael. "It's going to have different variations, it's gonna have a bit of R 'n' B, a bit of hip-hop, a bit of garage, even pop."

He's approaching TV stations to run competitions to design the CD cover, and he's looking forward to seeing their video on MTV. "If we can get a really good record company to back us, then I'm hoping maybe we'll see it break into the top ten. Even breaking into the top 40 would be an achievement, because this is something that has never been done before by young people."

Teenagers suffer from an attitude problem according to MYP Daniel Fitzhenry, 16.

And the problem is, he says, "the way young people are seen or regarded by the rest of the population."

Daniel is working with youth minister John Denham to improve the image of young people. Picture © Neville Williams

Daniel hopes to change this by going on tour with minister for youth John Denham and encouraging teenagers to vote.

"We want to see what young people think of politics and government in their local areas," says Daniel, "as well as what they think of policies on a national scale."

They are visiting the local schools in Southampton which they represent in the Youth Parliament and Westminster.

As part of a youth team, Daniel is responsible for setting up a consultation group that has direct powers to decide how money is spent from central government.

Money has already gone towards contraception, young employment, children's rights and advice surgeries in the city.

Adam Gallagher at 15 has been elected Young Mayor of Middlesborough by hundreds of secondary school pupils. Also the local MYP, facilities for local young people are his main concern.

He has big plans for the future including setting up a non-alcoholic pub. "It will be open at times that suit young people and it will have facilities for leisure and for young people who have got problems."

Adam has his own PA, meets regularly with the adult Mayor of Middlesborough and is determined that it is the young people themselves who should have the final say on how his budget - more than £30,000 - is spent. But Adam doesn't want to be a politician. "Politics is siding with one party. I believe I should be siding with the whole of Middlesborough."

Charlotte Kemp has become a radio star to get teenagers' opinions heard.

The MYP for Lincoln has a regular slot on Lincolnshire radio. The 15-year-old's monthly show came about after she wrote to programme organisers

She said: "We asked if it was possible to be on air, they said 'yeah' and asked us along. We did an interview and explained what we'd been doing, who we've met so far and what we hoped to achieve with the UK youth parliament."

The station was so impressed they invited her to come back every month. The determined teenager admits she has big plans for her next show. "It will be a lot more about what the entire UKYP wants to achieve."

Charlotte hopes the slot will make sure young people are listened to more, and that the youth parliament is taken seriously.

She adds: "It would be really nice if people really started sitting up and listening to what we had to say."

Amy Cox, MYP for Thurrock, gets equal treatment with the town's two MPs.

So when the mayor invites either Angela Smith or Andrew McKinley to meetings to be briefed on council policies, Amy, 17, goes too.

Her equal status doesn't end there: she was also the first MYP to be named in Hansard when Angela Smith asked a question about national sporting facilities in the House of Commons on her behalf.

Amy has been involved with the UKYP since the start, and helped organise an early fundraising event - a sponsored walk up Big Ben (on the inside) - which brought in £800 for the Youth Parliament.

Overpriced travel fares for young people is high on the agenda for the Youth Parliament.

David Smith a MYP from Crawley managed to get lower bus fares for all those in full time education in Chichester, which is the centre of higher education in west Sussex.

Fifteen-year-olds were paying adult prices, but thanks to David they now have a student rate. He said: "We aim to extend this from Chichester and across West Sussex. Hopefully one of the benefits of being a member of the UKYP will be that we can extend it across the entire country."

About the team

These profiles were produced by Lindsay Marchant, 18, Camille Noreiga, 17, Jonathan Hudson and Sam Hunt, 15, Zak Garner-Purkis and Laura Smith, 14. A version of them was published in the Daily Mirror as part of a special Children's Express pull-out on the UK Youth Parliament.