London, meet your new MYP

The results are in!

The votes have been counted and the moment has come:

Sylvia Thurkal is your elected 2026 Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) for the City of London.

Supporting her over the next two years is the Deputy Member of Youth Parliament, Yunshu Yang.

On being elected, Sylvia said: “This opportunity means so much to me. It is an incredible privilege to represent young people in the City of London. I look forward to working on the issues that so many of you have raised with me, and to keep these conversations going.”

Yunshu said: “I’m beyond grateful to be elected for a leadership role in the City and ecstatic that I can begin to deliver my manifesto pledges – advocating for safety of young people and improving social awareness and advocacy. Thank you everyone that voted for me.”

Congratulations to both, as they take on their new roles as representatives for young people in the City.

Change is coming

Sylvia and Yunshu will work side-by-side to advocate for young people in the Square Mile, as they face ever-changing issues. Here’s more about their background and pledges:

Sylvia Thukral

2026 Member of Youth Parliament (MYP)

Sylvia has been a Wellbeing Rep, Digital Leader and School Counsellor. She feels that politics are often out of young people’s control, and feels confident that she can represent young people to give them a voice.

Sylvia wants to use her strong communication skills to be an advocate for young people, promoting the values of justice, compassion and inclusivity.

Her pledges are:

To modernise the curriculum.
To improve employment opportunities for young people.

Yunshu Yang

Deputy Member of Youth Parliament

Yunshu wants to be the next Member of Youth Parliament as she closely relates to young people in the Square Mile, and shares their concerns. She wants to represent and advocate for them fairly, so her pledges are shaped around their suggestions.
Yunshu vows to do the best to represent her constituency and the ever-changing issues faced by young people, and to tackle their concerns from the roots.

Her pledges are:

To advocate for young people’s safety.
To improve social awareness and advocacy.

A great turnout

This election cycle, five incredible candidates put themselves forward as MYP, including Sylvia and Yunshu. They were:

Adrian Avendano Grijalva

Adrian is a previous member of Newham Council’s Youth Panel. With South American heritage, his focus is on improving liveability and community.

Giovanni Di Amato

Giovanni is interested in politics and topical issues. He wants to spotlight the environment and the cost of living – issues he feels aren’t talked about enough.

Jonathan Woo

Jonathan is a volunteer with the Royal Air Force, the Holy Trinity Brompton Church in London, and a youth education centre. His passion is for increasing financial education, and strengthening the link between young people and decision makers.

While each candidate focused on a different area, they all had one thing in common: a commitment to step up and speak up for young people. Voting took place between 19 and 26 March 2026 and was incredibly close, with only three votes in it!

Congratulations to all the candidates for coming so far and helping to create a buzz around young people in the City. We can’t wait to see what you all do next!

Get involved

As Sylvia and Yunshu join the City’s Youth Parliament, they’ll be involved in everything from representing youth to debating what matters, and campaigning for positive action.

If you’re 11-18 and live, work, study or volunteer in the City of London, look out for how you can get involved in the City Youth Forum.

Whatever keeps you thinking, questioning or wishing things were different, we can all lead the way forward for young people.

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