Twenty six representatives have been named for the 2018 Tonga Youth Parliament on November 12-14, to be held under a theme “Our Parliament-Bringing Parliament to You”.

The names were announced by the Tonga Legislative Assembly on October 24.

Lord Fakafanua, Speaker of Parliament said the Tonga Youth Parliament was a tangible example of the Legislative Assembly’s commitment to achieving and maintaining sustainable development by addressing and supporting youth in politics.

He said the Youth Parliament aimed to encourage an inclusive and participatory democracy by allowing a select group of young people from all over Tonga to learn first-hand about Tonga’s Parliament and the ways through which they can influence decision making.

"This is a non-partisan initiative in which we hope young people can engage in conversations around how Parliament can influence sustainable development. We hope that TYP challenges negative stereotypes that youth are disinterested, disengaged and disillusioned with the parliamentary process."

“TYP is a targeted effort to engage youth previously marginalized by parliament, and we hope this initiative will be a new beginning of mainstreaming the voices of the youth in Tonga,” he said.

2018 Tonga Youth Parliament Members