Natasha

Name: Natasha

Age: 16

Area you represent: Solihull

What issues do you think affect young people in your constituency the most? Issues which concern the young people of Solihull the most are ‘feeling safe while out and about’ and the negative image of young people in the press. We know these two issues concern our young people the most because these were the top two issues voted by young people in the 2011 elections.

During your time as an elected member, what do you hope to achieve? My main aim is to represent the views and opinions of young people in Solihull. It is really important to listen to other people and to ensure they have a voice. We are currently focusing on issues related to personal safety and have written and distributed a survey to find out the views of young people. From this we are speaking to key people in the borough in the hope to influence those in positions of political power. We also hope to apply for funding to increase street lighting, cycle paths etc.. To liaise with the police to ensure some areas have more patrols.

If you could change one thing about Britain, would it be? To ensure that all children in Britain have an equal access to quality education to enable them to have a better future. Currently the privileged have better access to top quality provision and I believe all young people should benefit from the same opportunities such as smaller class sizes, separate sciences, access to a wider curriculum and extra curricular opportunities.

Do you feel that the young person in 2011 is listened to? Young people are definitely listened to. However some young people are more able to have a voice than others. Some young people are not even aware of UKYP or that they can speak to their MP. I think we need to make voice of young people heard, and make more young people heard by making them aware of the opportunities available to them.