Lewisham Young Mayor and Young Advisors
Empowerment Activity| place of activity | Mayor's Office, Town Hall Catford, London SE6 4RU |
| event date | not defined |
| type of activity | Joint Governance |
| activity theme | Children & Young People |
| organisation | Lewisham Council |
| lead contact | 020 8314 6354; youngcitizens@lewisham.gov.uk |
| sector | statutory |
| website | www.lewisham.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/ElectedRepresentatives/TheYoungMayor/ |
| target audience | Children and young people |
| participate | No discussion forum is available for this activity |
Lewisham was the first council to have a directly elected Young Mayor. The Young Mayor is supported by a dedicated Youth Advisory Group whose members are drawn from a variety of community and young people's groups and schools. The Young Mayor and Young Advisors all have the chance to influence and advise the adult Mayor and Cabinet and they take on a range of borough wide issues. Young people in Lewisham between the ages of 14 and 17 can stand as a Mayoral candidate, and any person between the ages of 11 and 18 can vote.
The core purpose of the programme is to address the democratic deficit get young people involved in civic affairs. This could mean they are more likely to vote in adulthood and may continute to get involved in politics.
London Civic Forum has produced a case study of the Lewisham Young Mayor programme , highlighting its uniqe contribution to the empowerment of children and young people in the region. To download this case study, please click here.
