1st Youth Parliament
On 3 June 2011, the Saeima opened its doors to young people from all regions of Latvia – members of the Youth Parliament – that were invited to get acquainted with the specifics of the legislator’s work and to address their peers from the rostrum of the Saeima on the subjects that are topical to society. Young people whose ideas on the development and future of Latvia received the greatest number of votes on the www.jauniesusaeima.lv website were elected as members of the 1st Youth Parliament.
The Youth Parliament closely emulated the routine of the Saeima and the legislative process taking place in committee meetings and plenary sittings. Members of the Youth Parliament drafted four declarations concerning education, economy, youth participation and European Union issues. All of these declarations are submitted for evaluation to the MPs, as well as youth organisations.
The motto of the Youth Parliament was Through experience to understanding! because participation fosters better understanding of the routine work of the parliament, as well as political processes in a parliamentary democracy. The Youth Parliament was organised by the parliament of Latvia in cooperation with pro-transparency NGO Delna and the Children’s Forum of Latvia.
Acknowledgement to youths and schoolchildren for participating in the Youth Parliament