Ballymoney’s Youth MP Lauren addresses House of Commons

North Antrim member of the Youth Parliament, Lauren Bond, recently had the opportunity to speak in the House of Commons “on my experience with mental health - more specifically the small societal changes and changes within our education system that could be made to prevent bigger issues down the line”.

UK Youth Parliament provides opportunities for 11-18 year olds to use their elected voice to bring about social change through meaningful representation and campaigning.

The Dalriada student addressed a chamber packed with other MYPs: "I’ve received an overwhelming amount of messages from people who have been personally touched to hear what I had to say as I spoke of my own experiences.

“Often we place a focus on statistics and clinical environments whilst failing to see the individuals beneath the condition,” added Lauren.

"Whilst there is definitely increasing discussion around mental health in NI, I think too often we place emphasis on facts and figures and put our efforts towards improving services that really should only be needed in a worst case scenario. Unfortunately we have become dependent on these services.

"As a young person I feel that we should have constant conversation around mental health and change the way we view mental health so that it is not always portrayed in a negative light.

"I feel that small changes within our curriculum and within society could make drastic changes for young people.”

Here’s a video of Lauren’s speech.