Politics and government :Cross Stitch – Young people

Find out about the way our country is run and how the European Union affects you.

Catch21 is an online TV channel run by young people.

The site is filled with videos about how the political system works and what MPs are doing about the issues that really matter to you.

You can also find out how you can volunteer to be a part of their online videos or add your comments to the Catch 21 blog.

If you want to influence MPs and the national government, you can get involved in the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP).

The UKYP aims to give young people between 11 and 18 years old a chance to be listened to by MPs, government ministers and other politicians.

Every local authority in England has at least one young person who is elected to the UKYP. Every July, all UKYP members get together to discuss the issues that are important to them and other young people.

If you don’t want to stand for election, you can still get involved with the UKYP’s work.

You can:

• vote in UKYP elections
• support UKYP campaigns
• discuss and debate issues on the UKYP website
• go to a UKYP event