For the first time in history, the House of Commons threw open its doors to non-MPs, allowing over 300 young people to debate issues affecting their lives. A team of young BBC reporters were there to capture the momentous event.
Four teams of budding journalists spent the morning in the Commons' press gallery before working with the Today in Parliament team to turn their notes into reports for the Radio 4 programme. Katie, 13, and Ruairidh, 12, worked with the BBC's Simon Jones.
Daniel, 12, worked with classmate Hannah, 12, and parliamentary correspondent Rachel Byrne on a report to reflect the debate about free university education. Recording your own script in a studio is a tricky skill to master.
Tia, 12, and Shabana, 17, concentrated on a report for the School Report website about whether public transport should be free for young people. Tia came up with a the headline: The old go free, what about me?
Other reporters grabbed interviews with Members of the Youth Parliament and the public in Westminster Hall.
Alex, 18, was interviewed live on the BBC's World Service Newshour programme. He said: "It struck me that I was sitting in the tiniest room in a BBC studio without quite understanding how big this interview was."
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
