Youngsters get advice from MEP (From The Advertiser Series)

Youngsters get advice from MEP

11:25am Saturday 26th January 2013 in News By Hannah Bryan, Reporter (Darlington)

A GROUP of young people are getting a helping hand from an MEP as they help to tackle youth unemployment.

The team of four from Darlington’s Youth Partnership attended a youth conference in Darlington’s twin town of Mulheim, in Germany, in September last year, to explore ways to lower youth unemployment in both the North-East and Europe.

Following the conference, which was attended by youngsters from 11 different European countries, the group has been working on an agenda, which they hope to present to the European Union later this year.

Their agenda covers mobility in the European job market, cross fertilization between business and education, entrepreneurship, qualifications, internships and studying abroad.

To help with their quest to help employment prospects for them and their peers, the group, which included Matthew Mason, 22, Amanda Atkinson, 18, Jay Burgess, 20, and Katie Mummery, 15, met with Labour MEP for the North-East, Stephen Hughes, who will help bring their agenda to European Parliament in Brussels.

Mr Hughes said: “I think it sounds like a tremendous initiative and we have got to follow it up.

“It is brilliant what they have done. The more young people get to mix and travel and experience the world the better. You realise that although we may seem different, we all share the same hopes, fears and aspirations and we need to work together on things.”