Published: Friday 14 February 2020
The search for Kensington and Chelsea’s first ever youth mayor is off to a flying start with eight confirmed young people registered as candidates.
The candidates, aged between 11 and 19, are now seeking nominations from their peers to enter the leadership race. Those who reach the nomination threshold will win a place on the Youth Council and be entered into the running to become mayor. Nomination requirements vary for young people in care, with special educational needs or in out of borough schools.
They will write an election statement and create a video manifesto to let other young people know why they should vote for them. These videos will be shown in schools and colleges around the borough, before candidates’ classmates and peers cast their votes. The successful candidate and the Council’s first Youth Mayor will be announced by The Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Cllr Will Pascall, at a ceremony in March.
Once formed, the Youth Council will have a fund of £40,000 to allocate to projects that it wants to support. It will link up with the borough’s young people via the Youth Forum Network and feed their views into Council decisions and conversations, making sure they have a voice when decisions are made.
Just missed out this year? Follow the Youth Council’s journey on the @RBKCYouth Instagram to keep up-to-date with their progress. The next batch of young leaders will take over in October 2021, with information on how to get involved to be shared next year.
All the details on the Youth Mayor and Youth Council can be found on the Council website.