BY HANNAH GRAHAM

IN previous articles I have mentioned the importance of youth voices and the youth services that enable young people to have their voices heard.

With the UK Youth Parliament elections approaching, it is now that people really start to listen to young people and allow young people to make a difference in the world.

In recent years young people have made such a difference to our county and everyone in it, especially through youth groups like Dorset Youth Council Enables (DYCE).

At DYCE, we use the power that we have to make a difference to the lives of young people across Dorset, with projects like the Max Card, which enables young people who are young carers, disabled or in the care system to have opportunities that they never would have done otherwise.

As part of the initiative, they are given discounted access to local attractions across the county.

This project has really taken off since we started promoting it and we hope to do more work with the Max Card this year.

Another project that DYCE members have been involved in is Anti-Bullying, with representatives from our group going to the Dorset anti-bullying conference and educating young people on the effects of bullying and solutions to the problem.

Events like these are perfect to talk to many young people at once in order to spread the message.

Another crucial event last year was the UNESCO World Heritage Conference in Blaenavon, South Wales.

Five members of our group travelled to Wales to meet other people from heritage sites, and learn about getting young people involved in youth heritage.

This event has led to the formation of the youth heritage team for Dorset, in partnership with DYCE.

You can find the team on Twitter over at @jurassicyouth.

These are just a few of the fantastic projects that we got involved in last year and there were many more.

With the upcoming elections making way for a new set of MYPs, 2016 looks set to be a fantastic year, filled with brilliant opportunities for young people across Dorset.