Last updated at 14:09, Monday, 28 March 2011

THE results of the Furness Youth Council elections have been announced.
AMY FENTON reports

Title
Author
Copyright

Description

A NEW generation of politicians has been elected to represent Furness.

It is the first area in Cumbria to have a council of young people representing other youngsters.

Furness Youth Council announced the results of its elections at Barrow Town Hall on Thursday, welcoming 20 youngsters to the council.

Some youth councillors from Cumbria will have an opportunity to sit on the UK Youth Parliament.

Introducing the evening, Furness College students, Ayiesha Emms, 16, from the council’s steering group, said: “We have been working together for over a year to plan these elections, and we are really excited to be here tonight to open this evening’s proceedings, and finally to announce the successful candidates in the first ever Furness Youth Council elections.”

Sarah Faulkner, 16, from Barrow Sixth Form, said: “Most of us got involved over a year ago as a result of a Youth Voice day here at the town hall and since then, we’ve been meeting regularly to try to sort out all of the very complex decisions that have been needed to get these elections off the ground.

“And I think we all agree it’s been a lot more challenging than we first thought!

“However, we’ve also had some fun along the way, met some new friends and learnt lots.”

Sarah cited some of the things they have been involved with in the past year.

She said: “We have had huge amounts of support from the members of Barrow’s Children and Young People’s Working Group. They agreed to award us funding to run these elections, we have been invited to regularly attend and report at their monthly meetings, and Councillor Anne Burns came to one of our meetings to talk with us about the role of a councillor, and to help advise us on how to run our elections, and campaign for support.”

Barrow Borough Council’s deputy mayor, Councillor Ray Guselli, also attended the event to speak to the candidates about his life in local government.

He said: “I entered local politics in 1998 and, like most councillors, did so because I felt passionate about what was happening in Barrow and because I felt I could make a contribution, however small.

“Politics is full of ups and downs and perhaps one of my greatest downs or disappointments has been the apparent lack of young people interested in local politics.

“Hopefully tonight, with the Furness Youth Council elections, that may all change.

“It has to change because, I am not your future, you are my future.

“You, the young people of Furness, are at the heart of our vision for the future.”

Over the last month youngsters have been casting their votes using an online system and at Thursday’s event, the first 20 members of Furness Youth Council were revealed as Chloe Johnson, 11, Will Adams, 13, Sophie Warwick, 14, and Daisy Reed, 15; all from Dowdales School in Dalton, Abigail Mackin, 11, Matthew Rigg, 11, Toby Riddick, 11, Emily Bower, 12, Leia Hoggarth, 13, Shannon Riley, 15, and Stacey Shields, 16; all from Furness Academy in Barrow, Connor Wood, 12, Sian Doherty, 13, Nicole Macababbad, 14, and Jasmine Aldred, 14; all from St Bernard’s Catholic High School in Barrow, and Sheridan Pitts, 12, and Jack Malone, 13; from Walney School.

First published at 13:13, Monday, 28 March 2011
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk