The local Member of Youth Parliament for North West Hampshire has helped launch a new branch that aims to help young people in Test Valley have a voice in their local community.

Dmitrijs Meiksans MYP has worked with local charity Unity, where he is their Youth Ambassador, to establish Unity Youth, which says it will help “young people to become vital members of the community through developing opportunities and activities.”

“This idea has been in the pipeline since Unity’s Annual General Meeting last November.” Dmitrijs said.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to explore ideas with the Unity team and develop this project - it is vital young people are satisfied that their voices are being listened to.”

Unity Youth’s first step to fulfilling its determinations is launching a youth provision survey which has recently been shared with schools and colleges across the Test Valley. The Police and Crime Commissioner of Hampshire has awarded the charity £500 to launch and distribute the survey including creating accessible versions of the survey as well as creating a report which would be shared with key decision makers, MPs and Councillors across Test Valley and beyond.

“The survey is the first big step we are going to take in the right direction and I urge all of my constituents to fill it out- this is an amazing opportunity for all involved,” Dmitrijs continued.

Terry Bishop, Chief Executive of Unity, said, “We are delighted to be able to launch our Unity Youth initiative enabling young people across the Borough to express their concerns and raise issues that matter to them particularly in these challenging times. To be able to work with Dmitrijs as our Youth Ambassador is key to this and we are thrilled to have him involved as our Youth Ambassador.”

Young people aged 11-18 in Test Valley can fill out the survey by clicking here. The deadline for entries is Friday 6th November at 5pm.