Young Mayor Election

11 Mar Young Mayor Election

Last week Zubin came to see me with some amazing news; he had been elected Young Mayor of Barking and Dagenham! He had been up against much older candidates and yet his resilience, eloquent speech and determination to initiate change meant that he was voted into this prestigious position. We are exceptionally proud of Zubin and cannot wait to see the changes he brings about for our community. Below, is a summary of his steps to achieving this goal:

“Like all great achievements, though I was elected within minutes of my speech, becoming Young Mayor has been a journey over the past year. In November 2020 I put myself forward to become part of the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum and what a life changing experience that was. Though I didn’t know it at the time meeting with likeminded individuals, at first on Zoom, for an hour a week would shape me as a person. Being a new member amongst a group of young people who had years of bonds together was a daunting experience, however, I pushed myself to run for Chair of the Forum. Though I wasn’t elected Chair I did receive a Deputy position for coming second place, hours of meetings of online meetings often where I was the only young person on the call was a bore but gave me my greatest opportunity at moving up the ranks.

Throughout my year as Deputy Chair I attended several extra meetings, often I was looked upon by an entire room of my peers and speakers to ask the questions no one wants to. This put me in a position where I gained respect from all members of the forum, and I believe it to be the reason for my success. and yes, that juggling act of schoolwork and a two hour long meeting on a Monday combined with another the next day was a challenge, however running for young Mayor was the next step and one I had always dreamed of. I had to prepare a speech and in it I managed to play to the heartstrings of the forum. My promise was to represent young people in an articulate and persuasive way to build a brighter future. The votes happened minutes after and up against two 17-year-old candidates my nerves were high and confidence a little low. To my surprise I won the election and was deemed Young Mayor of Barking and Dagenham”.

A huge well done to Zubin, we are so lucky to have you as a student in Year 10!

Ms Draisey

Head of Year 10 & Senior Mental Health Lead