Young People Given A Voice By Stephen Canning
By .JohnSmith.
Enterprising Stephen Canning has become the voice of young people in Braintree, Witham and Halstead -proposing a youth council for the district.
Stephen, 14, visited Brooks Newmark MP this week to talk over plans for the council and ask for his backing.
The teenager, from Mountbatten Road, Braintree, has used his own money to set up a website for the project and has received support from 30 other young people interested in the idea.
The youth council will meet at the council chambers at Causeway House, and it is hoped the first meeting will take place in the next few months.
Southend High School pupil Stephen will also be putting together posters and publicity to send to schools in the district asking young people to come along to meetings.
He said: “We will meet once a month and it will be a place for the young people of Braintree to bring up their ideas about what the adult council should be doing.
“One of the main aims of the council is to get rid of the stereotypes of young people in the district. It is also helping young people learn about politics.
“Anyone can turn up to the meetings, and after they have been there for three consecutive meetings they will be considered a member.
“The MP said he will attend the meetings as well.”
Stephen said he will be temporary leader of the council until the council has been formed and elections can take place. He hopes that issues raised at Braintree District Council will be passed down to the youth council, and that their ideas will be passed up.
Stephen said: “I was just thinking about some of the things the council has done -to be helpful to the youth of Braintree- and none of them have worked. I thought it would be better if they could ask the young people.”
Mr Newmark said he hopes to work closely with Stephen in future.
He said: “I was delighted to meet with Stephen at the House of Commons do discuss his very thoughtful proposal for a Braintree Youth Council.
“I think that it’s very important that young people in our community feel that they have an opportunity to influence the decisions that affect them and the Youth Council will offer them a way of doing just that.
“I look forward to helping Stephen make the Youth Council a reality and I hope very much that as many young people as possible from our community will get involved.”
www.braintreeconservativefuture.com
