Regional Youth Parliaments (RYPs) are our largest Parliamentary Education service project that we undertake as an organization. Through these weekend-long events that take place across our beautiful province, we engage and teach youth about the Westminster Parliamentary System. We’ve found that over our years of spreading this knowledge, immersive “mock-parliaments” are the most effective way of teaching youth the ropes of government. Regional Youth Parliaments require a large amount of work and thus we’re always looking for support in making them successful. Check out some of my hot tips about getting involved below!
1. ATTEND! We’re running six RYPs this sessional year and we’d love to see you attend whatever you can.Your presence as a member of the 91st session and BCYP member who will have had exposure to the Parliamentary process makes you a valuable asset to the lively Parliamentary simulation. Our six RYPs have been scheduled for the following weekends below. Check out and note the lists below to keep track of key information!
Richmond Delta Youth Parliament (RDYP)
Hugh Boyd Secondary School, Richmond
February 21 – 23, 2020
Vancouver Youth Parliament (VYP)
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC
March 6 – 8, 2020
Fraser Youth Parliament (FYP)
Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, Surrey
April 3 – 5, 2020
Islands Youth Parliament (IYP)
The University of Victoria, Victoria
April 24 – 26, 2020
Interior Youth Parliament (InYP)
Okanagan Mission Secondary School, Kelowna
May 22 – 24, 2020
Lower Mainland Youth Parliament (LMYP)
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC
TBA (Summer)
2. SERVE IN THE HOUSE. Every RYP has both a Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet. If you’d like to serve in a larger role within an RYP, this is your chance to step up and get more involved! Premiers and LofOs of each RYP are in charge of determining their teams! Each Premier and LofO runs for election for their RYP, so if you’re interested in maybe running for a House Leader position — get involved before running! Check out the list below for all of our tentative House Leaders.
Richmond Delta Youth Parliament (RDYP)
Premier: Maya Lichtman
Leader of the Opposition: Jessana Akehurst
Vancouver Youth Parliament (VYP)
Premier: Siavash Salamatian
Leader of the Opposition Leo Hsu
Fraser Youth Parliament (FYP)
Premier: Morgan Lim
Leader of the Opposition: Kaitlin Law
Islands Youth Parliament (IYP)
Premier: Megan Ryan-Loyd
Leader of the Opposition: Leo Head
Interior Youth Parliament (InYP)
Premier: James Krause
Leader of the Opposition: Nolan Schmeekle
Lower Mainland Youth Parliament (LMYP)
Premier: TBD
Leader of the Opposition: TBD
3. RECRUIT. RECRUIT. RECRUIT. Depending on the RYP, some recruitment teams could really use the help of involved and caring community members who can help to recruit new RYP members. Students who have recently left a high school or who are still in a high school can be a huge help in the recruitment process — on top of those of us who are working to contact teachers and our old connections within our communities. Regardless of your age, if you are someone who wants to help get people involved in the RYP movement, or you’re someone who has a strong web of connections, contact the MInister of RYPs who can help to find the right recruitment committee for your expertise! The CRO is in charge of recruitment, and check out our snazzy list of CROs below!
Chief Returning Officers:
Richmond Delta Youth Parliament (RDYP) — Nathan Chang
Vancouver Youth Parliament (VYP) — Amelia Booker
Fraser Youth Parliament (FYP) — Zara Herbert
Islands Youth Parliament (IYP) — Abby Head
Interior Youth Parliament (InYP) — Justin Kulik
Lower Mainland Youth Parliament (LMYP) — Karina Valcke-Beckett
4. HELP TO ORGANIZE. RYPs require a huge amount of work from those who are not of age to attend the actual RYP. From clerking to chairing to CROing to the plethora of other tasks that need to be completed — Regional Planning Committees and RYPs always need help if you’re willing to work hard! Check out this list of key positions below!
Regional Youth Parliament Chair
Responsible for organizing and overseeing the Regional Youth Parliament.
Chief Returning Officer (CRO)
Right-rand to the Chair and is directly responsible for recruitment and the supervision of members at the RYP.
Clerk of the House and Assistant Clerks
In charge of producing a journal, and ensuring all components related, including preparing documents for the house and keeping the official record of House proceedings.
Sessional Director and Speaker
An adult figure in charge of ensuring the safety of members at an RYP and serving as the guide to Parliamentary proceedings as the Speaker.
Regional Recruitment Committee
A group of members responsible for helping with outreach for the procurement of members.
5. CREATE YOUR OWN JOB! Do you have a passion for something you can relate to RYPs? Do you have something you’d like to try or an idea for RYPs? Talk to the Minister of Regional Youth Parliaments and propose your own ideas. We’re always looking for ways to spice up our fleet of Parliamentary education warships.
As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to learn more about RYPs! Contact me at Kishoore.ramanathan@bcyp.org. See ya later on the Island!
Yours in Parliament,
Kishoore Ramanathan