During the summer holidays, Abergavenny Town Council was delighted to welcome Mia Morris, a pupil from Crickhowell High School, for work experience.
Mia came to the Council with a keen interest in politics and wanted to understand more about the people behind local government what encouraged our councillors to get involved in politics, the experiences and challenges they have faced, and what they would say to a generation of young people who now have the opportunity to vote.
Rather than simply giving Mia an opportunity to observe the work of the Council, we wanted her to have a project of her own and the opportunity to ask those questions directly.
Putting the questions to our councillors
Mia was tasked with interviewing 13 Abergavenny Town Councillors and bringing together what she learned into her own Youth Engagement Report.
She explored what first encouraged councillors to become involved in politics and public life, their experiences of local government, the difficulties and barriers they have faced, their thoughts on young people and politics, the importance of representation, and what could encourage more young people to believe that politics and public service are for them. Presentation
Mia identified a number of common themes from the different conversations, including community, confidence, representation, understanding and invitation.
Her project was particularly relevant because, at 16, Mia is already part of a generation with an opportunity to participate in Welsh democracy. As she explains in her report, 16 and 17-year-olds can vote in Senedd and local government elections in Wales, but having the right to vote does not necessarily mean that young people feel prepared or confident enough to participate.
Giving young people a voice
We also wanted Mia’s work experience to be about more than learning how the Council works. We wanted to give her an opportunity to use her own voice and have it heard.
Mia was therefore invited to speak at the Mayor’s Civic Ceremony, sharing her perspective as a 16-year-old interested in politics and reflecting on some of the challenges young people can face when trying to engage with it.
Following her interviews, one of the conclusions Mia reached was:
“Young people don’t need to wait until they are older to have something worth saying.”
Her report also considers what could happen next, including more contact between councillors, schools and youth groups; more opportunities for young people to contribute to real Council discussions and projects; and greater visibility of what councillors actually do and the different routes into public service.
Read Mia’s Youth Engagement Report
We are delighted to share the report Mia produced as part of her work experience.
It provides an insight into the questions she asked, what she heard from our councillors and, most importantly, what she took away from the experience.
READ MIA’S FULL YOUTH ENGAGEMENT REPORT HERE
Her report ends with an important question:
“What can we do to make sure the next young person who is interested in politics feels there is a place for them?”
What’s next?
We’re delighted that Mia’s involvement with Abergavenny Town Council won’t end with her summer work experience.
Mia will be returning later this year to complete volunteering hours with us and our Environment Committee by assisting at the Greener Abergavenny Fair in October, giving her an opportunity to work on environmental issues as part of her A Level Welsh Baccalaureate.
We would also love to hear from other A Level students who need to complete volunteering hours and would like the opportunity to get involved in Council projects, events and community activities.
If you’re interested in volunteering with Abergavenny Town Council, please get in touch.
