Youth Parliament tackles big issues at North Somerset meeting (By Isabella, 13)
By Isabella, 13, Good News Room at PCSA
On 25 March 2026, members of the North Somerset Youth Parliament met in person to share progress on three priority topics they believe are important to improve in the local area.
There was also a presentation to members about whether North Somerset should join the West of England Combined Authority.
While some members asked for more information about the cons, many positive points were discussed, including more power for North Somerset, increased funding, and a stronger voice for the area.
After the WECA presentation, the focus shifted to the three chosen priorities.
The first group discussed Safer Communities, which aims to help young people feel safer and understand what to do in unsafe situations. They also shared ideas on how to report incidents if something happens.
Next, the Mental Health group presented their work.
They spoke about a letter they plan to send to schools about mental health, as well as trusted training programmes for teachers. Their goal is to improve mental health across the area and give young people better coping strategies.
The final subgroup focused on hate crime.
The group leaders, joined by co-leader Keira, explained what a hate crime is so everyone understood: a crime that targets someone because of their race, sexuality, gender, religion, or other characteristics. They also explained what a hate incident is—showing hostility towards someone because of things like disability, race or gender—and discussed the differences between the two.
Good News Post
They then talked about the effects of hate crimes, including trauma and long-lasting fear, and explained that victims may not always know how to cope.
The group shared five ways to respond to hate incidents:
- Direct – report it straight away and help the victim leave the situation
- Distract – interrupt the situation if direct action is not possible
- Delegate – involve others to help prevent it happening again
- Document – record or report what happened
- Delay – report it later if it is not safe to do so at the time
They have also written a letter to schools calling for more teacher training on hate crime and better support for victims. The group highlighted Stand Against Racism and Inequality, a local charity offering free support and workshops.
Overall, the group’s aim is to play an active role in reducing hate crime.
Fatima, one of the subgroup leaders, said:
“I think it is really important to challenge hate crime because it affects people far beyond the moment it happens… No one should feel targeted or unsafe for who they are.”
Eve, the other subgroup leader, added:
“Ending hate crime will fundamentally transform society… It is absolutely imperative that we take the first step now… towards a more kind and equal society.”
The meeting then came to a close, with Youth Parliament members saying goodbye—until next time.
