BCYP is a Youth Service organization dedicated to fulfilling its motto, "Youth Serving Youth". Our history spans almost a century, having its roots in our predecessor organization in 1924, the Older Boys Parliament. Each year, 95 individuals, ages 16 to 21, from around the province meet in the Legislative Buildings in Victoria and debate a variety of legislation that outlines projects that will then be run throughout the year. In addition to this, Private Members Resolutions are introduced giving members the ability to debate any issue they choose to, while still participating in a practical lesson on the parliamentary process.

      Community initiatives include Regional Youth Parliaments, which are parliaments designed for 14-18 year olds that are run in the different regions of British Columbia in order to allow more youth to experience debate-building education in parliamentary procedures. Another one of our projects this year will be a leadership retreat for our members. At this retreat they will attend workshops on leadership, team building, event planning, etc. At the end of the retreat, the members will put on a service project for the youth in the community. Our largest project this year is the Western Canada Youth Parliament (WCYP). WCYP is a parliament held every two years for the members of Youth Parliaments from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The host province rotates and this year it is BCYP's turn to host. It is a time for youth from across Western Canada to come together and learn from each other.

      Please take a moment to browse through our activities and the exciting events we have coming up. If you have any further questions about our organization or need additional information, please contact me at premier@bcyp.org.

      Yours in Parliament,

      Jessica McElroy