v’s robot warmly welcomed into the Houses of Parliament

Well, we did it. We put a robot in Parliament. Not just any robot I have to say, a robot that writes out, word for word, what young people care most about – delivering those messages directly to the politicians. At a time when only 3% of young people have ever contacted their MP, the robot – nicknamed Voicebot -  is a very modern twist on writing a letter to your MP.

The Voicebot is part of v’s proactive research campaign called Voicebox.

At a reception hosted by Tim Loughton MP, shadow minister for children and young people, to launch the robot’s week-long stay in parliament, lots of MP’s got to hear about the project and meet with the robot itself.
Speaking at the launch Tim Loughton MP said, ‘Voicebox puts young people right at the heart of democracy. This is a great initiative bringing politicians and young people together’.

Other MP’s visiting the robot, reading young peoples’ cares and talking to the v volunteers included Angela Smith MP, Minister for the Third Sector, who commented, ‘Young people are our future and it is vital that we listen and understand their needs and concerns. Voicebox is an excellent two-way communication tool. It has the potential to give us real insight, helping us to take action that is truly effective where it most counts’.

Angela Smith MP, Minister for the Third Sector reading young peoples cares

Terry Ryall, chief executive of v reminded those at the launch that ’hundreds of thousands of young people want to make the world a better place. The challenge for politicians everywhere is to take risks with new ways to engage young people ‘.

The full results of the research underpinning the robot is being fed into v’s project with the think tank Demos, A New Anatomy of Youth.

More pics of the launch available here.