Ukbdnews desk :: Following a well earned rest over the festive period, Tower Hamlets’ Youth Council is back in session and full of ideas for 2012. The group of nearly 30 youngsters met last week to discuss projects for the coming year and speak to Cllr Oliur Rahman,

Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, about how they can help youngsters in the borough.

During a question and answer session, the group asked Cllr Rahman for his thoughts on a range of topics including youth employment, funding for youth services and perceptions of young people.

Munadiah Aftab, Chairperson of the Youth Council, said: "It was really helpful having Councillor Rahman come along to answer our questions.

“Having him and the Young Mayor at our meeting shows how supportive the Council is in ensuring the voices of young people are heard and taken into account."

Nahimul Islam, Young Mayor of Tower Hamlets, also spoke to the group about his experience as a representative for local teenagers and gave advice to youngsters thinking of filling his shoes when a new Young Mayor is elected next January.

The Youth Council is made up of youngsters who live or study in the borough, and recently saw an intake of new members.  

In 2012, the group plan to work with the Young Mayor team in holding councillor-style ‘surgeries’ in secondary schools, so that youngsters have a platform on which they can discuss local issues and raise concerns.

They also plan to undertake a film project with three local secondary schools, to tackle negative images of young people in the media and encourage pupils from different schools to work together.

The next Youth Council meeting is scheduled for the evening of 22 February 2012 and is open to any young person who lives or studies in Tower Hamlets.  

Anyone interested in attending should contact Lee Ocsko on 020 7364 4839 or lee.ocsko@towerhamlets.gov.uk