A site for residents of Prince's Ward, SE11, in the London Borough of Lambeth. Check for updates from your Labour Action Team's campaigning, local information, and meetings.

Thursday 3 March 2011

New Lambeth Youth Mayor elected


Lambeth’s incoming youth mayor has vowed to provide more social activities for young people in Lambeth and campaign to improve GCSE results.

David Oyedele, 16, was announced Lambeth’s new Youth Mayor at an election night held at the Town Hall on Tuesday. David, a student at Archbishop Tenison’s School who lives in Brixton, will be given £25,000 to help improve opportunities for young people. Current Mayor, Darren Tenkorang, 16, will hand over the role on 1 April. The second highest vote saw 14-year-old Jacqueline Gomes, a student from Sacred Heart College, announced as Deputy Youth Mayor. More than 10000 young people aged 11-19 who live, study, or work in the borough voted in the Youth Council elections at polling stations in schools and youth centres across Lambeth as well as online.

Naomi Mwakamowo, a student at Charles Edward Brooke School, was voted the next member of Youth Parliament (MYP), and Jeremiah Emmanuel, a student at Archbishop Tenison’s School, deputy MYP. Naomi and Jeremiah will organise events and projects, run campaigns and influence decision-makers on issues that matter most to young people in Lambeth.

Streatham MP Chuka Umunna was present to hand out a Democracy Award for the school with the highest student turnout in the elections. The award went to Elmgreen School in Tulse Hill, where an impressive 84 per cent of students cast their votes. Elmgreen students will now be treated to a visit to Parliament, hosted by Mr Umunna.

David, said: 'I feel ecstatic to have won this year’s Youth Elections in Lambeth. It’s a real privilege to be able to stand up and represent young people across the borough, and I’m looking forward to working hard to make change happen for them.

'During my campaign, I focused on the need to protect young people from the impact of the cuts we are seeing to services, and my desire to help improve GCSE results and provide more social and physical activities for young people in Lambeth.

'I’m hoping to use my £25,000 Youth Mayor’s budget to help achieve these aims, and will be campaigning hard on behalf of young people to make sure we are a top priority for the people who are making decisions around which services are cut, and which are protected.

'It’s so fantastic that we have the Youth Mayor Elections in Lambeth and the £25,000 budget we receive demonstrates that young people here are really taken seriously.'

The outgoing youth mayor, Darren Tenkorang, used his budget to fund:

• A sailing trip for a group of young people based at Flipside youth project in Brixton.
• A film-making project for young people at Code 7 in Oval.
• A boxing club based at Lambeth Academy in Clapham
• A summer playscheme for young people at the Knights Youth Centre in Streatham.
• A project for LGBT young people based at the Terrence Higgins Trust in Waterloo.
• A photography project based at the Old Library centre in West Norwood.

Lambeth Youth Council is an award-winning youth leadership and engagement project. Lambeth is one of only four London authorities, and ten nationally, to have a directly elected youth mayor. The Youth Council allows young people to make a difference in their lives and those of others in the borough through training and empowerment. The Youth Council allows young people to give their views on issues affecting them and their community and also gives them the resources to act on their ideas.

For more information visit http://www.younglambeth.org.uk/lyc1.aspx or www.YouthMayor4Lambeth.com or follow @LamYouthMayor on twitter.
Pictured: election candidates at Parliament with West Norwood MP Tessa Jowell and Streatham MP Chuka Umunna.

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