Youth Council gets political with the Mayor

27 May, 2009

Newham's Young Mayor and Youth Council were given a chance to develop their political prowess this week with a visit from Mayor Sir Robin Wales to one of their training days.

Members of the Youth Council gathered at council headquarters Newham Dockside to participate in a series of workshops on public speaking, campaign strategies and building a manifesto. They were also given the chance to quiz Sir Robin about his day-to-day life as a politician.

Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales commended the work of the Youth Council at the training day.

"Speaking with the Young Mayor and Youth Council was an opportunity to share some of my knowledge and experience in local government with the group and help them develop a stronger voice in the community.

"The Young Mayor and Youth Council scheme is a valuable initiative which encourages young people to get involved in local issues."

Reflecting on the training day, Young Mayor Joshua Adejokun explained how the session really helped the youth council to sharpen their skills.

"Having the opportunity to speak with Sir Robin gave us a chance to raise issues that are important to young people. He also spoke to us about his campaign strategies and how we can work to become more positive role models.

"This training day was a really great opportunity for the Youth Council members to build stronger working relationships with one another. The Youth Council has grown this year to almost 50 Youth Councillors, giving young people across the borough an even stronger voice. Days like this help us to become better youth representatives for Newham."