UK Youth Parliament Members elected to deliver positive change for Sandwell’s young people

Six young people were shortlisted: Tami Ajayi, Mohammed All-Hasan, Kortney-Anne Cox, Olivia Gall, Freyja Girling, and Raghav Kumar.

Mohammed All-Hasan and Olivia Gall received the most votes and will go forward to represent Sandwell as UK Youth Parliament Members.

During the campaign, the six candidates’ pledges included:

To nurture the growth of individuals to make a positive change in society
To highlight the discomfort and adversity faced by women and girls
To address bullying and inequality in schools
To focus on the sexual harassment of young women in schools
To ensure that the voices of young people are heard by national decision-makers
To enable young people to stay in education

Mohammed All-Hasan, aged 16, who lives in Wednesbury, said: “I am truly honoured to have been elected as the member of Youth Parliament for Sandwell. The opportunity given to me by the young people of Sandwell and the British Youth Council to take a stand for what I believe in, and most importantly what the youth of Sandwell believe in, is an opportunity I will not take for granted.

Olivia Gall, aged 16, who lives in Tividale, said: “I would like to thank everyone for giving me the opportunity to be your voice in the Youth Parliament and trusting me enough to vote for me. All nominees have tried so hard, and to get to this point is a big accomplishment in itself. I would like to recognise the hard work that everyone behind the scenes has put in, in order to make this happen. “

More than 2,457 young people across Sandwell voted between 1 and 11 February to select the two UK Youth Parliament Members.

The UK Youth Parliament enables young people to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better, providing opportunities for 11-18-year-olds to use their elected voice to bring about social change through meaningful representation and campaigning.

Voters also took part in Make Your Mark 2022, the largest survey of young people in Europe which canvassed young people for their views on issues such as mental health and wellbeing, responding to the climate emergency, and ending child poverty. The results from this ballot will be announced soon.

Councillor Karen Simms, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for children and education, said: “I want to congratulate Mohammed All-Hasan and Olivia Gall and to thank all of the candidates and the young people who have supported the UK Youth Parliament election. And I want to extend my thanks to all the schools and Sandwell College who acted as polling stations. Their efforts demonstrate their commitment to making positive changes for the young people of Sandwell.

“Our young people are the future of Sandwell and we want to make sure that their views shape the work of the council. Mohammed and Olivia’s election will ensure that they also represent the young people of Sandwell at a national level. We will work with them and the young people in the borough to ensure our towns are welcoming places, where they have jobs, activities and facilities that give them a part in their communities.”

The UK Youth Parliament election is supported by the SHAPE programme which is led by Sandwell Council. SHAPE focuses on five overarching outcomes which are fundamental to the wellbeing of all young people: