Young people in Southend-on-Sea have made their voices heard in record numbers, by participating in the largest European youth vote, Make Your Mark and presenting results at the Full Council meeting.
Earlier this year, young people aged 11 to 18 across the UK were invited to voice their opinions on key issues. In Southend-on-Sea, a record-breaking 9,978 students from all 12 secondary schools and South Essex College participated, ranking Southend 2nd nationally with a turnout of nearly 59%.
On Thursday 17 October, Youth Mayor Thomas Bell, Deputy Youth Mayor Edward Melville, and member of Youth Parliament Jocelyn Ayao, presented the results at Southend-on-Sea City Council's Full Council meeting, seeking support to advance the young people's priorities.
The top three areas identified by the young people of Southend-on-Sea were:
- Health and Wellbeing - 1,683 votes
- Culture, Media and Sports - 1,595 votes
- Crime and Safety - 1,538 votes
As part of Make Your Mark, the Youth Voice team created outreach workshops to improve young people's knowledge of democratic processes and empower them as change-makers in their schools and communities.
By highlighting priority areas, the Youth Voice team will ensure that Southend Council's decision-makers address the needs and concerns of the young community.
The full results report with a breakdown for schools and youth groups can be found on the Smart Southend website.
Jocelyn Ayao, member of Southend youth parliament, said: "Make Your Mark was an extraordinary success in Southend, with nearly 10,000 young people partaking in the ballot - a remarkable increase from the 2022 results. The dedication and effort put into this year's programme fill me with immense pride as I announce that Southend ranked 2nd nationally, with a turnout of approximately 59%.
"These outstanding results empower the Southend Youth Council and me to expand our efforts to create impactful projects targeting the top-voted issue, Health and Wellbeing. With numerous ideas and campaigns already in development, the future endeavours of the Southend-on-Sea City Youth Council look exceedingly promising!"
On 18 July 2024, Youth Council members hosted an event where elected Youth Council Champions from Southend schools, along with their teachers, met with Southend Council's Senior Leaders. They shared the ballot results, discussed their priorities, and pitched their project ideas. These results will guide the Southend Youth Council's work and be included in their annual action plan. The Youth Council will collaborate with Senior Leaders to campaign for positive changes on the issues highlighted by young people.
Additionally, Colin Ansell, Chief Executive of Southend-on-Sea City Council, presented awards to schools for their contributions to the local success of the Make Your Mark initiative.
To find out more about the work of Southend-on-Sea City Youth Council, please visit their website.