This year Nottingham’s young people get the chance to support their City in becoming a world class leader in science and innovation at the Science City Youth Parliament events in November.
As part of the European 2Way project, which aims to help citizens have their say about science related issues; The Youth Parliament events will enable the young people to create a formal resolution which will be taken to the special European Youth Science Conference in Brussels in December.
Councillor David Mellen, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services said:
“Young people from across Europe will be attending the conference in Brussels and I am proud that Nottingham’s Young people have been chosen to be part of this. The Science City events not only encourage young people to learn about Science but also help put Nottingham on the map as a world class leader in Science and Innovation”.
The Youth Parliament will be made up of up to 60 young people aged 16-19 from across the city and county.
Over two days the Youth Parliament will hear evidence from scientists and professionals about four of the life – science issues that currently affect the world we live in:
- Stem cell research
- Use of genetic test results
- Genes and aggressive behaviour
- Personalised medicine
They will then plan their arguments, present their cases and debate all the issues before agreeing on a resolution. Two members of the Youth Parliament will then get the opportunity to represent Nottingham at the Brussels conference.
In October the parliament delegates will also get a chance to visit a working laboratory, test their science skills and prepare for the discussions which will be held on the 4th and 5th November.
Event Diary:
14th October 2010 Research Sessions @ BioCity, Nottingham 4-6pm
The selected young delegates will start preparing themselves for the debates in November. They will try their hands at DNA testing, learn the basics of debate, research and evidence collecting.
4th November 2010 Dissecting the issues @ Nottingham City Council House 8.30-4pm
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Delegates will embark on a day of team building activities, talks and workshops with Scientists and professionals and begin tackling and discussing the topics to prepare them for the debates the next day.5th November 2010 The debate and resolution @ Nottingham City Council House 8.30-4pm
The teams will prepare their arguments based on their learning thus far and bring them to the forum at the debate chambers. By the end of the day the Youth Council will have decided on a resolution for each topic which the 2 representatives will take to Brussels.
Science City – Nottingham Youth Parliament is a partnerships project between The Centre for Effective Learning in Science at the Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham City Council, BioCity, and Ignition*.
Nottingham is one of 6 designated Science Cities in the UK and aspires to becoming a world class leader in Science and innovation.