Published: January 27, 2012
by PETER GRUNER

MORE candidates re­vealed themselves this week in the race to be elected to Islington’s new Youth Council.

Young people will elect eight youth councillors, one of whom will become Youth Mayor, on February 9. Polling stations will be set up in secondary schools and youth centres.

The councillors will  tell Islington  where and how money should be spent on youth services.

The youth council will have up to eight elected councillors, who will stay in their role for up to two years.

Together, they will work to:

• represent the views of children and young ­people in Islington;
• help determine how money is spent on serv­ices for children and young people;
• share their views with the council and its partners on issues affecting children and young ­people;
• help make decisions about issues that affect young people;
• improve the range and quality of activities and places to go for young people in Islington;
• fundraise for local charities and causes for young people.

Here is what 11 of the candidates have to say:

Abdiaziz Shukri, 16: “I will organise and unite all the young people who go to school in Islington.  I am concerned about the rising cost of education.”

Avram Liebenau, 15: “I will bring the young people of Islington together to improve arts and culture for the better. I want to get every young person involved.”

Harry Tomes, 15: “I am campaigning for equality and fairness for a reason. It’s this that allows us to have a say, and to prove who we really are.”

Joanne Arenas, 17: “Growing up in Islington, I have often seen many youths not achieving their full potential, especially at school. May aim to to improve access to learning.”

Labake Okanlawon, 15:  “The issues I would like to tackle are crime and safety. As a youth councillor, I will try and get young people seen for their achievement, so we can have more opportunities and options now and in the future.”

Laurie Gellhorn, 16: “I will try and get more festivals organised in the borough of Islington.   Also in the off-peak hours of the festivals, we could have young people’s bands playing on the stage.” 

Miriam Owusu, 15: “I’m from Mount Carmel School. I’m currently studying final year GCSEs and live in Islington. The media today is all about unemployment among young people, as this has increased rapidly due to cuts on jobs being inflicted on us.”

Nur Ceylan, 15: “All young people have the right to study therefore I believe that the rise in fees in education is not at all encouraging for young people. I have been living in Islington all my life.”

Nancy Brown, 15: “I want to improve access to work for young people in Islington. One third of people of working age in Islington don’t work. I want to understand why and put a stop to it.”

Sheama Allam, 14: “I will make sure that everyone in Islington is aware of clubs that offer stuff that they are interested in or hope to do in the future. Just because of the grade that you are at doesn’t mean that teachers should degrade your ability to do a lower or higher tier.”

Yumna Mobeen, 13: “Despite having the least green space of any London borough, Islington has 227 good quality green spaces – outdoor spaces can be beneficial, fun and safe all at the same time, we could build mini tracks or outdoor study spaces.”