Newcastle’s young people have gone to the polls to elect 18 representatives to Newcastle City Council’s Youth Council, including some from Jesmond and Newcastle High School for Girls. Victoria Petrie and Andrew Paterson report

Two Jesmond pupils have been elected to Newcastle Youth Council to represent the voice of young people in the city. Liyanah Riyaz and Emma Gibson, both from Newcastle High School for Girls, were welcomed into the council by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, councillor David Down.

Nineteen schools from across the city were involved in the elections, acting as voting centres.

With a 46% turnout, 6,384 young people voted in this year’s elections, the highest number since the first youth elections took place in 2010. The youth council gives young people between the ages of 11 to 18 the opportunity to get involved in local politics and raise awareness on issues that affect young people in Newcastle.

Riyaz, aged 13, told JesmondLocal that her priorities for this term included child poverty in Newcastle. “It’s something that should be top priority I think, because that’s when people are at their most vulnerable.”  Tackling social and racial discrimination to ensure everyone feels safe in their own city is also a top priority for Riyaz.

“I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of different people and getting more involved in my city because I think it’s something I’m really passionate about.”

Emma Gibson, aged 14, told JesmondLocal: “I’m really interested in politics and helping people improve things for people aged 11 to 18, because I feel like they’re not heard enough.” Gibson’s main priority is to raise awareness around mental health and the environment.

Jesmond councillor Stella Postlethwaite attended the elections, telling JesmondLocal: “It’s a really good way of hearing from young people in the city.

“The important part now is that we’re hearing what’s important to them.”

Speaking of the impact of the youth council, Postlethwaite added: “There’ll be important changes in the city that come up and it’s important that we have a good system for young people to feed into those consultations so that we always have their say on change.”

Fatima Pamsm-Conteh from Newcastle High School for Girls and Eddie Chappel, a Jesmond resident who attends Heaton Manor High School, are ending their two-year term as youth councillors. Following in her sisters’ footsteps, Fatima said “It’s been beneficial for me personally, I’ve become a lot more confident, I’ve been to a lot of events.”

“There’s always a way that you can get involved. If you’re not willing to commit, if you’re a bit shy, you can just come to the assemblies, you can find what you’re interested in, do what you can. If you’re more committed you can do the council. If you really want to take it to a national level you can do the parliament.”

Eddie Chappell was on his primary and secondary school councils and felt he was making a difference, “I was pointed towards the Newcastle Youth Council and realised I could make an even bigger difference.”

“It’s been an amazing experience. It’s taken up a lot of time, it’s been a lot of hard work but it culminated in a trip to Japan for a week!”

Newcastle City Council says it hopes to encourage more schools to get involved in future votes. Postlethwaite’s message to those interested in getting involved? “Be brave, put yourself forward. I think it’s really great that so many young people participated. I really hope lots of people vote as well because that’s also participating in democracy.”

The next elections will be held in 2021. For more information on how to get involved, visit https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/news/youth-council-elections-2019