Lower sixth Notre Dame student Hannah Begum has been shortlisted to become a Member of Youth Parliament for Leeds.
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is a “national programme that enables young people to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better. Run by young people for young people, UKYP provides opportunities for 11-18 year olds to use [their] voice in creative ways to bring about social change.
Being a Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) is an exciting opportunity, and during the term of office (1 year) elected members will have the chance to get involved in a huge range of activities, learn new skills, make new friends and represent young people from Leeds at a local, regional and national level!”
The deadline to apply for the 2022-23 Youth Parliament was January 14, after which the applications received were shortlisted down to six. The finalists – including Hannah – have published their manifestos online, and the public vote is open until February 25. If Hannah is successful in her bid to become a member of the Leeds UK Youth Parliament, her term of office will start on March 1.
In her manifesto, Hannah says, “Within our youth-obsessed culture, the authentic voices of the youth are rarely heard, we become fixated upon when we were young and how we would like to go back to the times when things were ‘easier’. This single-minded view doesn’t allow us to reflect upon the problems we have when we are young, which because of COVID have worsened for many young people. COVID-19 has exasperated many existing problems for young people as well as the emergence of new issues. From the loss of close ones to the loss of generational rituals, such as the opening of exam results, we have been one of the most negatively affected groups of people within society. The pandemic has declared a war of psychological trauma for young people, giving us mental, physical, and social problems. It begs the question, what are we doing nationally to help with the ongoing, declining situation of the wellbeing of young people?”
You can read her full manifesto here.
If you agree with Hannah that, “We need to shine a light and show the reality of being a young person, paving the way for a brighter, more prosperous future. With this programme, we can collectively heal and collectively change the lives of young people.”, vote for her now.
To hear more from Hannah about the issues she feels are important and her ideas to resolve them, head to her Instagram @hannahbegumm.
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