Wiltshire Youth Council Elections

Wiltshire Youth Council is made up of 11-18 year olds who represent their schools and communities at monthly youth council meetings to focus on issues that are important to young people. They will talk to leaders and decision makers, ensuring that young peoples voices are heard and will make sure that our community is youth friendly. This is a great opportunity to make a difference and learn new skills.

We are very proud to have three fantastic students standing for election to the Wiltshire Youth Council this year. Students at Sheldon will have an opportunity to vote using the link below beginning on Monday 2 February 2026. Voting closes on Friday 6 February.

Saskia

Vote for me because I truly care about making a difference for all young people like me – especially for those whose voices aren’t always heard. I believe that together we can stand up for those who are struggling, bring real change, and make Wiltshire a place where every young voice matters! :)

My three priority areas are:

1. To raise more awareness for the young people in our community
2. To improve local facilities and public spaces
3. To make sure every young person feels included and valued in our community

Ben

I am running as a candidate for the Wiltshire Youth Council because I have a passion to help others and to make people’s voices heard – no matter who they are or where they come from. Some may not agree with my ideas on how this can be made a reality, however I guarantee that I will listen to the problems people face and will work to make sure they feel heard and seen.

My three priority areas are:

1. Protecting young people from knife crime, criminal exploitation and antisocial behaviour.
2. Improving the reliability and availability of public transport – making it easier for young people to get to work, school and activities.
3. Improving career and work opportunities for young people.

India

In a world where people are killed for the colour of their skin or dehumanized for not fitting a specific biological ideal, I believe that those of us living in the UK must recognize our privilege. Too many people fail to acknowledge how fortunate we are as a society. As I grow older, I become increasingly aware of the incompetence of many of our leaders, and that reality deeply disturbs me. The only genuine hope I see for a better future lies within the youth. However, this is something the older generation often fails to recognize.

The way young people are raised today directly contradicts the expectations placed upon us. We are asked to behave and obey like children while simultaneously carrying the responsibilities of adults. By the age of sixteen we are expected to know what we want to do for the rest of our lives, despite lacking the neurological development required to make such life-defining decisions. This expectation is not only unrealistic but fundamentally unfair. Children are not smaller, more obedient adults, nor are we property simply because our basic necessities, such as food, water, shelter and education, are provided for us. We are individuals who are developing, learning and navigating the world just as previous generations once did, and it is time we are treated as such. So I want to be part of Wiltshire youth council to challenge this issue directly. i hope to help amplify young voices and contribute to building a platform that can grow into something louder, stronger, and impossible to ignore.

My three priority areas are:

1. American sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term ”third place” in his book ”the great good place” referring to a place the is separate from school/work and home. A place to foster social interaction and community. Or the way Mr. Oldenburg phrased it ”a home away from home” a place for young teenagers to hang out without the pressure of parental supervision and educational responsibilities. Somewhere they are not required to spend £4.50 on a coffee in order to be indoors. Things like coffee shops and sports clubs use to be idea spots for children to socialize without the pressure of education or domestic or familiar responsibilities, before it was capitalized and inflated and now all of these place's cost too much for the average teenager to comfortably afford. I want to encourage the council to open more Third places for teenagers to decompress instead of opening another unnecessary coffee shop or charity shop.
2. How we treat and educate the youth now is only going to be a foreshadow of how our future is going to turn out, and it absolutely disappoints me to see how little understanding children have of politics or how little interest they have in it. Last year July, the UK government announced that they plan to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 and I fear for the future of this country if secondary students don't feel a need to educate themselves on how their own government works and I can only foresee that leading into disaster. I believe that all secondary school students should have a basic understanding of politics simply because it is their future on the line.
3. Australian sociologist Judy Singer coined the term "neurodiversity," labeling it as a disability. Of course, with modern research we now no longer see it as a disability but more of a unique way of learning, however schools don't seem to be keeping up with that research. I want to encourage school to offer an optional separate classroom where they can discover and learn under a teaching style that works best for them.