News Article - 18/01/2010
Student elected Waltham Forest Youth MP
On Wednesday 13th February, Sir George Monoux College student, Abbas Hanif was elected Member of Youth Parliament, (MYP), for Waltham Forest in a landslide victory. The Business Studies student, who was recently named London Citizens’ Student of the Year, will be the first Member of Youth Parliament to represent the borough since 2005.
The UK Youth Parliament allows young people aged 11-18 years to raise the concerns of the youth in their community at a national level and use their enthusiasm to make a positive difference in the world. Students at Sir George Monoux College began the search for a MYP for Waltham Forest as part of a project in their A Level Citizenship class and encouraged fellow students to stand for election. Abbas will now join elected MYPs from across the country as the only representatives permitted to debate in the House of Commons apart from Parliament.
Abbas, aged 19, who is planning to study politics at university said, “It is such an honour to be able to represent the young people of the borough in the Youth Parliament. This is an incredible opportunity to petition the nation’s policy makers and raise awareness of the issues affecting young people all over the country. We can actually make a significant difference in our lives and I look forward to working with my peers in Waltham Forest and the UK Youth Parliament to make a positive difference in our community.”
Previous campaigns have included reducing the cost of travel for young people, the abolition of university fees and improving political education. Abbas has already started a campaign for better financial literacy for young people and presented his ideas to Mayor of London, Boris Johnson at a forum in November 2009. He now plans to continue his campaign in the Youth Parliament. He said, “It is so important, especially in the current economic climate, for us all to understand how to manage our money. A lot of people blow their money on things but if we can learn how to manage our money properly, we can find an alternative route and save so that we don’t get into financial crisis in the future.”
Kim Clifford, Principal of Sir George Monoux College said, “We are so proud that one of our students has been elected to represent Waltham Forest at the UK Youth Parliament. I have seen Abbas work on so many community cohesion projects and I have witnessed his enthusiasm and commitment to our community. I have no doubt that he will make an excellent MYP for the borough. My congratulations go out to our A Level Citizenship group who have done a fantastic job in organising and publicising the election with the Youth Parliament. This has been an excellent, practical learning challenge for them and they have risen to it marvellously.”
