Redbridge Youth Council
Coronavirus: service update – Redbridge Youth Council meetings have been postponed. Meetings online.
We are still keeping in touch and are running virtual meetings to plan and support Redbridge residents during this time. if you would like to join our virtual Youth Council, please email us for more details.
For information on all service changes please see our services changes page.
Join the Youth Council and make a difference to your borough
Are you:
- fed up with feeling like there's nothing for young people to do?
- think nobody ever listens to your views?
- wish you had more control over what happens in Redbridge?
- aged between 11 and 19 and living and/or studying in Redbridge?
Then come and join the Redbridge Youth Council.
Redbridge Youth Council
Get involved
Join the council and make a difference to your borough. We want to give young people aged 11 to 19 in Redbridge a say on the issues that matter to them and a chance to have their voice heard. As a member of the Youth Council, you will get involved in a number of our campaigns. Some recent campaigns include raising awareness of mental health in schools, writing guidelines for schools about sexual harassment and looking at raising awareness about gang and knife culture. You do not have to be elected to be a member of the Youth Council, just come along.
Redbridge Youth Election 2020
Read the Youth Election 2020 Press release (PDF 393 KB)
The Youth Election ran from Monday 3 February to Thursday 13 February and this year nearly 15,000 young people 11 to 18 years old voted which is the highest turnout since 2007 when the Youth Elections began. Ahmed Rahman and Faizan Ahmed were elected from the 10 candidates and will represent the Borough as Redbridge Members of the UK Youth Parliament (MYPs). The Deputy MYP is Yahya Jahaly. Read their manifesto commitments below.
Ahmed Rahman
- I plan to inform young people about knife crime and how to avoid it
- I aim to encourage young people to use different methods of transport to protect the environment
- I will encourage local businesses to educate young people on entrepreneurship skills
The number of knife crime incidents in London are increasing. To tackle this situation I aim to educate young people about making the right decision. To promote this, I will increase the number of assemblies and workshops from organisations also trying to tackle knife crime.
Protecting the environment is important for our generation's future. I will aim to encourage young people to use different methods of transport for example, instead of driving to school, young people could use the bus or walk to school to protect the environment. To do this I will contact organisations such as Living Streets, to hold more activities around Redbridge to protect the environment.
I believe we need young, innovative entrepreneurs to improve our future. I aim to introduce new workshops to give business ideas and help build on existing business plans. I will contact local businesses and organisations such as young enterprise, to hold workshops and activities around Redbridge.
Faizan Ahmed
- I aim to encourage young people to care for our environment
- I pledge to raise awareness of hate crime
- I propose to run workshops and campaigns against knife crime
Littering is a big problem in Redbridge, as it makes our borough look unsightly. This promotes more littering and makes the place unsafe. As a member of Youth Parliament, I aim to make assemblies to schools about littering on the streets. They will include a PowerPoint with a video. I will explain to them the effects of littering and what we can do to help put an end to this.
Promoting racial equality is challenging. It will be a responsibility of mine if I become an MYP. Redbridge is a diverse borough and everyone is unique. I strongly believe in breaking those barriers by planning educational methods that can be applied to daily life, also by running workshops in libraries or schools and involving charities such as "Stop Hate UK" for support. This will raise awareness withing young people about hate crime.
Several young people have been affected by knife crime in recent years. I will plan workshops in schools by working with various charities. They will focus on the effects of knife crime and where to get support from. This will help schools to become more robust in managing young people's awareness about knife crime.
Yahya Jahaly
- Promoting awareness of planting more trees
- Increased awareness about the disadvantages of gang culture and promote youth friendship
- Increase awareness about rough sleeping and risks of homelessness in vulnerable families
My main concern is to plant trees and embellish the environment. Trees are the key to life and to keep the air clean and pure. I will raise awareness at all levels, from family level to individual level to plant more trees regularly. Many projects are in place and volunteers are needed to cultivate and look after the saplings. Raising awareness in schools, social media and other public areas are some ways which can be used.
Secondly,gang culture is becoming rampant in Redbridge. According to Scotland Yard statistics there is a fall in drug and knife offence, but a rise in burglaries and gun crime in Redbridge. So, I will do my utmost best to raise awareness of negative effects of gang culture and promote activities, which will create camaraderie, friendship and social beauty and bonding. For example, a social online platform can be created to voice the concern of youths tempted to be engrained in gang culture. Youths of Redbridge can meet on a regular basis in the libraries to discuss their issue and become acquainted with each other. Cultural festivals, youth festivals, sports activities and regular trips can be organised to mould the environments of the youths and bond them together.
Homelessness and rough sleeping are some of the major priorities in Redbridge. There are about 6,000 homeless people and about 60 rough sleepers in Redbridge. Rough sleeping needs to be minimised and I aim to create a youth team to speak about the multiple disadvantages of rough sleeping.
Child Friendly Redbridge Ambassador Panel
Redbridge is working towards being a Child Friendly Borough and as part of this initiative, we have set up a Youth Panel. Nearly 4,500 young people took part in the online vote for their 150 ambassador nominees. The Ambassador and Deputies have not been elected for each school and will represent their school on the Youth Panel.
- Beal High School - Sia Pandya Ambassador; Maryam Loonat Deputy
- Caterham High School - Emaan Faisal Ambassador; Sofia Salah Al-Rifai Deputy
- Chadwell Heath Academy - Yamim Shah Ambassador; Rym Meral Djitli Deputy
- Ilford County High School - Muhammad Zaid Ambassador; Zain Khan Deputy
- Isaac Newton Academy - Diya Rajput Ambassador; Izza Deputy
- Kantor King Solomon High School-Sarah Dyer Ambassador; Toby Ladlow Deputy
- Loxford School - Jussira Silva Ambassador; Aisha Abdi Deputy
- Mayfield School - Aysha Choudhury Ambassador; Andrei Raul Tinca Deputy
- Oaks Park High School - Arwa Dahir Ambassador; Julian Boakye Acheampong Deputy
- The Palmer Catholic Academy - Zachary Owusu-Ansah Ambassador
- Seven Kings High School - Shaniyah Wray Ambassador; Zainab Ali Deputy
- The Forest Academy - Anthony Carteret Ambassador; Iffah Deputy
- The Ursuline Academy Ilford - Faiza Ambassador; Melissa Deputy
- Trinity Catholic Academy - Ciara Gorman Ambassador
- Valentines High School - Masfee Ahmed Ambassador; Muhammad Ayaan Deputy
- Wanstead High School - Isabel van der Straaten Ambassador; Tom Boltwood Deputy
- Woodbridge High School - Anosha Khan Ambassador; Max Togonu-Bickersteth Deputy
- Woodford County High School - Amelia Crorie Ambassador; Maddeline Balogun Deputy
Young Cabinet Election 2020
The new Young Cabinet was elected on 20 April 2020 and they are:
| Raul Andrei Tinca | Leader |
| Ali Raja | Deputy Leader and other LA's |
| Khatira Kazemi | Children and Young People |
| Shaan Ali | Health, Social Care, Mental Health and the Ageing |
| Abdullah Raja | Transformation and Engagement |
| Yahya Jahaly DMYP | Housing and Homelessness |
| Faizan Ahmed MYP | Crime, Safety and Cohesion |
| Harriet Widdows | Civic Pride |
| Ahmed Rahman MYP | Planning and Planning Enforcement |
Make Your Mark 2019
825,903 young people voted for the UK topics and 832,323 voted for the devolved topics.
The top UK topics are: Protect the Environment and Tackling Hate Crime.
The top devolved topics are: End Knife Crime and Mental Health and these will be the campaigns that will be debated in the House of Commons on 8 November by the Members of Youth Parliament along with Curriculum for Life.
In Redbridge the turnout for the UK topics was 9,727 and for the devolved topics was 9,789. Protect the Environment was the top UK topic followed by Tackling Hate Crime. End Knife Crime was the top devolved topic followed by Mental Health. Overall Redbridge was 19th out of the UK for UK topics and 18th out of the UK for devolved topics and we had the highest number of votes in London.
Redbridge Youth on Facebook
We have set up a Facebook page which will provide you with everything you need to know about youth services and being young in Redbridge.
We will bring you information on a range of things including:
- youth service activities
- leisure and sporting activities
- education
- training and job opportunities and much more
We want this to become the place where you get all of the information you need as a young person in Redbridge.
Get in touch with us
Contact Raina Gee on 020 8708 3713 or 07880 582 041 or email youth.council@redbridge.gov.uk