Youth Parliamentarians at Commonwealth Youth Parliament in T&T

Belize is participating in the 11th Commonwealth Youth Parliament. The five-day event, which is taking place in Trinidad & Tobago, has the participation of 58 young people between the ages of 18 and 29 from 33 Commonwealth jurisdictions. Belize is being represented by Kalen Middleton and Daril Avila, members of the Young Leaders Alliance of Belize. Middleton and Avila are among the select group of youth participants, who will act as representatives of a fictional jurisdiction. They will debate a mock Parliamentary Bill related to remote working and alternative working patterns. The youth parliamentarians are being mentored by Members of Parliament from the British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago. The presiding officer for this year’s Commonwealth Youth Parliament is Anita Haynes, Member of Trinidad & Tobago’s House of Representatives. The Commonwealth Youth Parliament is an annual event designed to introduce young Commonwealth citizens to the role and purpose of Parliaments as democratic institutions and providers of good governance. It is organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). Middleton and Avila will return to Belize on November 25.