I’m Louis and I’ve been the Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) for the City of London since April 2022. I’m 18 now and from Haringey in North London but I go to school in the Square Mile. I spend a lot of my time there studying and representing young people from the area. At school, I’m sitting A-Levels in Maths, History, English Literature and Economics, and I hope to study Economics and Environmental Sciences at university next year!
I applied to become an MYP as I was inspired by the MYP before me, Raphael. I saw the power young politicians can have to bring about positive change in their community. After learning so much from the City of London, I was keen to give back by helping those around me. Being an MYP has also been an opportunity to bolster my professional credentials, helping in my future career and applying to universities.
I found the application stage of becoming an MYP very exciting as it was an opportunity for me to clarify some of the general ideas I had about helping young people into two key manifesto pledges. I reached out to young people in my school to research their priorities, focusing on those in the eco-schools committee gave me a better understanding of climate concerns. I was a member of the City Youth Forum for over a year before applying and this was helpful as I was already aware of things the young people in the Square Mile cared about.
I wasn’t apprehensive about applying, but I did find myself challenged by how strong the competition was! This pushed me to be even more bold with my campaigning techniques, staying late after school every day putting up posters that had been torn down, coming into school a few hours early and standing outside trying to get everyone who walked past to vote for me. I was also creative and made a QR voting code that made it easier for young people at my school to vote for me.
The whole process of applying was really useful, it helped me to develop a lot of key people skills including the importance of communication and how to engage young people. I developed graphic design skills to create a poster that would appeal to young people walking past it. I had to develop script writing skills which I used when filming my campaign video and have developed these further in school. I have no doubt that these skills I have gained will continue to be useful in the future.
When applying to become an MYP it is important to select your pledges carefully. My manifesto pledges were to improve sustainability in the Square Mile and improve youth mental health in the city. These are both topics that are close to my heart, as I have had family members and friends struggle with mental health issues in the past, and I have felt hopeless not knowing what I can do to help. Improving the support young people can access has been one of the ways I’ve helped to overcome this.
After being in the City Youth Forum for over a year before my election, I found out that climate anxiety is a big concern for young people, and I hope to work in the field in the future, so including it as a manifesto pledge was a no-brainer for me, especially considering how important the City of London and the businesses that are based there are for the transition to a greener economy.
Since being in office, I’ve acted on my pledges in multiple ways, which I will share with you in my next blog.
To anyone thinking about applying to be the next MYP I say go for it!
Don’t second guess yourself. Even if ultimately your application isn’t successful, we hope you will join the City Youth Forum and apply for one of the roles available. The skills you learn through campaigning are invaluable and ones that will serve you well in your future ambitions. Keep in mind what is best for young people in the City of London at every stage, as one of the most important skills for good MYPs is the ability to put aside your personal beliefs and put the needs of your peers first.
