Don’t follow the crowd, lead it – stand for Islington’s Youth Council

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The search has begun to elect Islington’s next Youth Council - giving young people the chance to represent thousands of their peers across the borough.

If you are aged between 13 and 17, live or go to school in Islington, or are looked after by the council, you can nominate yourself to become a youth councillor.

Every two years, 12 youth councillors are elected to represent Islington’s young people. It is a great opportunity to have a say and help make the borough a better place for young people to grow up.

A youth councillor’s role is to make sure the views of young people across the borough are heard, influence local policy and play an active role in designing and commissioning youth services.

They also work with the council and its partners on issues and decisions that affect young people, help decide how money is spent on services, and aim to improve the range and quality of activities on offer.

Cllr Joe Caluori, Islington Council's executive member for children and families, said: "Becoming a youth councillor is a fantastic opportunity to see how the decision-making process works and to be at the forefront of making changes.

“Not only does it look fantastic on your CV, but you get to have so many brilliant experiences by speaking to young people and representing them at different events. It is a real confidence builder and you will learn skills doing this that you can’t learn anywhere else.

“Our current Youth Councillors have done an amazing job and we are confident that they will take all that they have learnt with them into the next stage of their lives. We are excited to meet our next potential candidates and to eventually work with them to help make Islington an even better place for young people to grow up.”

If you are interested in becoming a youth councillor, please email youthcouncil@islington.gov.uk to arrange to collect an application pack from 222 Upper Street, or get details and book a place on one of the information sessions that will be taking place across the borough in September.

Once you have your pack, you must complete all the forms and return them by hand to 222 Upper Street on Wednesday, 18 October only, between 8am and 6pm.

Successful applicants must then attend a campaign training session at Lift Youth Hub on Monday, 23 October, between 9.30am and1pm.

The election takes place on Wednesday, 29 November, with the results announced the following day.

Last time, a record 5,188 votes were cast and the council is keen to see even more young people turn out and vote this year.

Find out more at www.izzy-info.com/youthcouncil