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The UK Youth Parliament is made up of around 300 young people from across the country and we are fortunate to have one of its members among our student body.
Khadeejah Hullemuth (L6, W) has been involved in Youth Politics for a number of years. She recently delivered the First News Children’s Charter for Brexit to Downing Street and, last week, she was back in Westminster to interview Jeremy Corbyn. Khadeejah questioned the Labour Leader on a range of issues, from the likelihood of him becoming Prime Minister, to lowering the voting age to 16.
Khadeejah’s political CV speaks for itself: as a Youth Councillor, she ran an anti-bullying campaign involving all the schools in her borough; as a member of the Surrey Youth Cabinet, she worked briefly with the County Council Cabinet, before stepping up to the Youth Parliament; in March, she will take up a new role as part of the procedures group, which will involve giving feedback and information on what people might want the Youth Parliament to deliver.
Speaking about her route into Youth Politics, Khadeejah commented, ‘Initially for me it wasn’t so much about Politics, it was more about making a change and making a difference, and so I got involved in local Youth Council and, from there, I heard about the Surrey Cabinet, and then the Youth Parliament and through separate opportunities, met amazing people and realised that, actually, politics is quite cool’.
‘For me, it’s also about representation, because Muslim women tend to be a group that isn’t so represented: this is an issue quite close to me and representation is so important. I try to consider other people that perhaps aren’t so well represented – so, young carers, and people who live independently at 16 because they are homeless or don’t live with their parents – I try and get them involved.’
What’s next for Khadeejah? She is working with First News to set up a junior Prime Minister’s Questions – a new system whereby young people can submit questions to the PM every fortnight.
When asked how she manages to juggle school work with the demands of being an MYP, Khadeejah commented, ‘It’s all down to organisation and knowing what you’re doing.’ With such clarity, and such energy, there is no doubt that she will go far.
Click here to watch Khadeejah in action (and very much at home in the House of Commons) during the 2017 UK Youth Parliament debate on affordable transportation. Khadeejah speaks at 00:04:08. The way in which she deals with The Speaker’s attempts to pronounce her name will leave you in no doubt about her suitability for a career in politics, if that is the path she chooses to take.
