Debate Lead Candidates

Yorkshire & Humberside 1. Aysha Ahmed, Doncaster 2. Minhaz Abedin, Leeds 3. Pegah Moulana, Barnsley 4. Sally Scrivener, Sheffield 5. Shaun Balderson, North East Lincolnshire 6. Simran Jandu, Wakefield 7. Tom Shearsmith, Kingston Upon Hull 8. RON (Re-Open Nominations)

Aysha Ahmed, Doncaster Why are you passionate about the work that you do as an MYP? I am always interested in current foreign affairs and so when I hear the news of how young people are treated in other countries it makes me sad because they should have just as much of say in their countries as I do mine. An example of this is Malala the little girl from Pakistan who gave her views and was viciously shot, being of Pakistani descent I found this outrageous but it made me think “could that have been me if my parents hadn’t moved here?” and so when I do work as an MYP I put 100% because I know that these opportunities that empower young people aren’t available to everyone and I have to make the most of these. What will you get out of being a debate lead at the House of Commons? If I get the position of being the debate lead at our national debate not only will it have built up my confidence even more, but it will give me the feeling that I have achieved something and I have excelled on my term as MYP, being amongst so many passionate. knowledgeable and determined young people at our different conventions can be a bit daunting when you have a bit of self doubt, so if I receive this honour of being debate lead for Yorkshire & Humber it will give me a euphoric sense of achievement that I will have never have had before and it will make me realise that I too belong as an Member of the United Kingdom Youth Parliament for Yorkshire and Humber. What’s been the biggest challenge you have overcome as a young person? The biggest challenge for me so far has been being a bit of a rebel which is also known as being an outcast. I say this because when thinking about what career I want to pursue the first thing I said was “I don’t want to be a doctor”. Now I think the medical profession is great –one of the best jobs around and I am always proud of my dad for working so hard (he’s a surgeon) but when my parents said I could choose any profession I wanted to, I saw that my peers in my social group (other doctor kids) did not have that choice and had been manipulated from birth to say “I want to be a doctor” and that is what put me off. So when I told everyone that I wanted to be a barrister my parents were in full support accepting my decision but looking around at others they viewed it as beneath being a doctor even though that is as rigorous as a job. And so the biggest hurdle that I am currently facing and will continue to do so until I become successful is that of being an outcast and saying no to the norms!

Minhaz Abedin, Leeds Why are you passionate about the work that you do as an MYP? As an MYP, I have the privilege of seeing young people from all backgrounds; ethnicities, sexualities and religions. From experiencing these diverse cultures, I have come to understand the hardship some people face in everyday life. Being an MYP, I can make steps towards helping those Young People who can't voice their opinions or take steps in their own society. Passion and motivation go hand-in-hand when striving towards your goals and aims: a country where young people are equally as respected as any other person. That is why I am passionate about the work I do, because every month I face new challenges, more hurdles spring up that I haven't faced before. The only way I can surpass these challenges, may that be about getting a meeting with a CO at the council or delivering an assembly, is with passion and motivation. This is why I'm passionate at what I do. What will you get out of being a debate lead at the House of Commons? The reason I want to debate lead in the House of Commons is so that I can fulfil my promise of representing the Young People's of Leeds' voice to the best of my abilities speaking at the HoC would be the pinnacle of stages to where I could deliver my constituents' opinions. Personally, it would develop me into a stronger leader and speaker so that I can then complete my work as an MYP at a level at which I make the young people feel heard whilst acting on their words so that their opinions feel valued. Speaking in front of my peers in the heart of Government will potentially define the working of the Youth Parliament for the following year - and I want to be one of the essential cogs in making that happen. What’s been the biggest challenge you have overcome as a young person? The biggest challenge I've overcome is the fact I grew up in quite an affluent area but spent the majority of my time in a deprived part of my city because of my dad's Youth Work. Spending my days as a child growing up with young people with extreme behavioural issues, it was daunting and threatening to say the least but this was my neighbourhood. Later on this may have given me the experience and fuel of motivation to do what I do now, but at the time I felt as though the world was limited to the few streets I was allowed on. Watching my dad, however, not only inspired me but matured my understanding of people's attitudes towards 'thugs' of our society. He made me close the single minded approach that people had because in fact their opinion has led me on to starting campaigns which effect more than half the population.

Pegah Moulana, Barnsley What’s been the biggest challenge you have overcome as a young person? I am strongly passionate about being a MYP because I feel like I am part of the community and I am useful for the society that I live in. It’s very important for me to show who I am and how I can make opinions into discussions with other MYPs and that’s when i call it as (WE). I have lived in a country of struggle for 8 years and now I appreciate what I have and I want to expand this and improve it by getting my voice heard. What will you get out of being a debate lead at the House of Commons? By being the debate lead I will get the voice of my area heard to the members of House of Commons and I will do this by using my own words and people will be able to see even though I am different we can place these differences together just like a jigsaw to improve what isn’t going ideal for the youth. This is what I see as my responsibility and I want to be the one who is given the right to stand up and defend what is our right. Why are you passionate about the work that you do as an MYP? The biggest challenge I have overcome is to come into a country that doesn’t have any similarities to mine; facing racism; getting into a racist attack but what made me proud is getting up and actually representing them for Yorkshire and Humberside. This shown to me that I will continue to reply to peoples cruelty by being kind to them.

Sally Scrivener, Sheffield Why are you passionate about the work that you do as an MYP? When talking to my constituents, many seemed to share a deep concern for issues within their area and nationally. Whilst this undeniably condemns the stereotype of apathetic and troublesome teenagers, many of the young people still didn’t believe their opinion could have any lasting impact. Being able to show my constituents that their opinions do matter and can help to achieve change is something I am thoroughly proud of. Not only that, but I am passionate about being able to prove it to them. For example, after many voiced the expense of transport as a concern, we successfully introduced the “£2 Ride Around”. Representing so many young people has allowed me to engage with people from all walks of life. Seeing the world from others’ perspectives is a fascinating privilege; bringing them together leads to engagement with MPs, professionals and other young people which is a empowering for all those involved.

What will you get out of being a debate lead at the House of Commons? If elected, I wish to develop the public speaking and debating skills I currently use in competitive debating. Debating is one of my passions and I leap at any chance to improve. Using skills I currently use in inter-school competitions to speak on behalf of thousands of young people is admittedly an extremely exciting prospect for me. It would be an incredible privilege to do what I love on possibly the UK’s biggest stage and to do so in a way which makes decision makers actively listen and positively affects millions of young people nationwide. Knowing that I had made a difference would bring a great sense of achievement. I’m completely ready and willing to speak for something I disagree with; it is a skill integral to debating which I hope to develop and it would help me better understand my constituents and thus become a better MYP. What’s been the biggest challenge you have overcome as a young person? It would have to be my parents’ divorce. This sort of thing is always a difficult and I appreciate that the whole ordeal was probably easier for me than for many people in the same situation because my parents were as supportive as they could be. However, it was happening during my GCSE exams and I was very worried that my grades could slip because of it. In the end, I managed to get the all the grades I wanted; this taught me to persevere through difficult times instead of just feeling that certain aspects of your life are unfair and dwelling on them.

Shaun Balderson, North East Lincolnshire Why are you passionate about the work that you do as an MYP? I am immensely passionate about the work I do, the importance of the voice of youth is vital to create change and highlight needs. I am a large follower of physical determinism; that every action by human beings is not down to ‘evil’ or freely making a ‘bad’ choice but is predetermined by the conditions of the past. The youth work we carry out, whether that’s curriculum for life, getting ready for work, raising aspirations or making affordable public services; our work affects much more than could possibly be measured, it not only affects the individual's life but the future of our vast and ever changing society. What will you get out of being a debate lead at the House of Commons? I have been in the area of competitive debating before, competing in debates such as the English speaking union, The institute of ideas debating matters and Norvic becoming a finalist or regional finalist in all. During my time I have debated difficult abstract ideas such as ‘Should parents be prosecuted for their children’s crimes?’ to more practical issues such as the legalisation of euthanasia and palliative care, along with regulation of the press. This experience has enhanced my public speaking ability, speech writing, confidence and conviction to every thought and quick educated responses to question. I think I can bring this to the debates at the House of Commons and so thus, I would get out a scrutinised and clear agenda for the local UKYP to aim for next year. What’s been the biggest challenge you have overcome as a young person? I have never climbed a volcano or mountain peak battling against exhaustion and the cold to survive, hell I even took the train up to the top of Snowdon , but I have overcome many academic challenges; Firstly my examinations and grades resulting in great results in my AS courses in philosophy, economics, geography and politics. I have written four columns for my local newspaper, on curriculum for life, secularism , one on Pro E.U. membership and another controversial article titled ‘Just confused and mislead on immigration’ where I wrote why the UK should adopt a more open immigration policy. As well as the previously mentioned, the challenge of debating as well as speaking in front of hundreds of students from all around the country at the MUN conference and winning a commendation for most persuasive speaker.

Simran Jandu, Wakefield Why are you passionate about the work that you do as an MYP? My job as a MYP is to represent the views on young people, and thats exactly what I intend to do at the HOC, to my best ability. I achieve a personal satisfaction when I feel that I have done my job, and as well as this Youth Parliament also helps with me with life skills such as public speaking, group work and social actions. THIS is why im passionate. As a young person myself I understand the mindset and thoughts of young people who may not be as confident as some and I feel as though I would represent and voice their views fairly and accurately. I enjoy seeing the smile of people (of all generations!) who didn’t expect young people to be so passionate about the work that they do for the community. What will you get out of being a debate lead at the House of Commons? Confidence, a chance to prove that I can speak fairly, accurately and to represent the young people. Also to achieve a better understanding of what subject I’m chosen to debate with (hopefully) to view the pro’s and con’s so I can fully speak about the subject with confidence. Social awareness also plays a big part because experiencing all of these new topics and peoples viewpoints of it, it will influence me to be a more socially aware citizen. It would be an amazing opportunity, and not many 16yrolds can say that they’ve spoken in the HOC! I really would feel that it would give me a lot of personal satisfaction and self pride, in which will boost my confidence and encourage me to take more opportunities like this rather than shying away from these experiences. I feel like its something I could proudly tell my grandchildren about! What’s been the biggest challenge you have overcome as a young person? Young people face challenges daily, whether its family life, college, school, but as well as all of that, I have been involved in the National Citizen Service which is a summer project for young people, and its about team building, facing new activities and achieving a social action by the end of it, with a signed letter from David Cameron. During the activities, I was very hesitant of some of the obstacles I was faced with, for example jumping of a small mountain into a pool of water. It might seem minor but for me it was about confidence building, and character building. I did eventually do the activity which filled me with self pride. Its the same feeling id get if I was debating in the HOC. I would be very nervous, but determined to make myself and the young people who I represent proud, and it would also guarantee character building in a different approach.

Tom Shearsmith, Kingston Upon Hull Why are you passionate about the work that you do as an MYP? I believe, like the Youth Parliament that all Young people should have a say in things that directly or indirectly affecting their lives, I am also a passionate campaigner on issues that affect Young People as for any change to come about Young People need strong and hard working advocated to ensure that Young People’s lives are only affected in a positive light. An example of my hard work on campaigning is the successful implementation of the Young Cares card in Kingston-Upon Hull which has benefited Young Carers across the city in a positive light, giving them the positive guidance and awareness that they deserve. As the longest serving MYP in the Yorkshire & Humber region (December 2009), this is an example of my ongoing commitment and passion that the Young People I represent. What will you get out of being a debate lead at the House of Commons? The opportunity to not only represents Young People locally, regionally but also young people nationally debating a topic that the Young People across the country deemed an important topic. I will also have the opportunity to develop my public speaking skills further in the House of Commons; to convey how I can be impartial debating a topic or issue that may be opposed by my own personal opinion. While also having the opportunity to display my creative writing skills by being able to think outside the box and come up with new ideas as to how to present whichever issue I am given. As a debate lead I feel I would act in an honest way, making sure that the debate is both fair and equal to the Young People I represent. What’s been the biggest challenge you have overcome as a young person? The biggest challenge I felt before joining the UK Youth Parliament was having the confidence to stand up in front of strangers and speak, but through the various conventions and support of my peers I have overcome this obstacle. An example of me doing so is speaking to the House of Commons (when it open was to the floor) and also successfully co-chairing the Yorkshire & Humber’s second convention in 2012. My experiences in UK Youth Parliament has allowed me to utilise my public speaking skills in other aspects, this confidence has allowed me to deliver several assemblies and events relating to Make Your Mark, UK Youth Parliament and Young People involved in politics. As my role as an MYP I have also take advantage of overcoming this obstacle and by taking part in several live BBC Radio interview on the Youth Parliament’s work.