The seventh Youth Parliament will be held in the Parliamentary Buildings on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 July 2013.

Youth Parliament 2013 will involve 121 Youth MPs and 10 Youth Press Gallery members. The Youth Press Gallery members will be selected by the Parliamentary Press Gallery to report on the events of Youth Parliament 2013.

The Parliamentary Press Gallery is there to let the public know what’s going on in Parliament and how people can get involved. The Youth Press Gallery members will sit in the Press Gallery seats while observing the debates and will also attend select committee sessions. They will then put together stories of these events so that the concerns and recommendations of the Youth MPs are presented to other young people, key decision makers and the general public.

The Youth Press Gallery will also attend a session run by the Parliamentary Press Gallery which will provide them with an understanding of the role of the media in Parliament and support them with the writing and publishing of their stories.

Interested applicants will need to provide the following to beheard@youthparliament.govt.nz by 5 April 2013:

• An opinion piece, submitted either in written form (maximum of 500 words) or a video or radio clip (1-2 minutes), on the following topic: How well are youth voices heard in Parliament?
• A current CV including contact details for two referees
• At least two examples of their work with at least one of these being a written piece
• A completed application form, available from beheard@youthparliament.govt.nz.

This is a great opportunity for young aspiring journalists aged 16 to 24 (inclusive) to get their first taste of political journalism from the inside. If you would like more information on the Youth Press Gallery visit youthparliament.govt.nz and you can contact Ministry of Youth Development on beheard@youthparliament.govt.nz .