Teen in national youth project

Matthew Commin (17) met other young people from across England in London to mark the launch of a pioneering new volunteering programme by the British Youth Council (BYC).

Each volunteer will be giving 5-10 hours of their time every week for four months, working on six challenges which are designed to engage them and motivate them to get other young people involved in debate, the political process and the issues which effect their lives and futures.

The programme will enable more young people to become involved and make a difference to their own and other young people's lives.

Matthew said: 'I really liked the fact that there was a big mix of people from different backgrounds, with different perspectives on all the issues we discussed. It's encouraging to know that there are so many active people out there, wanting to campaign for the things they believe in and make a real difference.'