Oldham has officially sworn in its 14th Youth Mayor, Charlotte Clasby, at a ceremony held in the Council Chamber on Wednesday 5 July.
Elected to the Youth Council in 2018, Charlotte has attended numerous events in her previous role as Campaign Officer, representing the interests of Oldham’s young people through the delivery of workshops and events with key decision makers.
A champion for young people’s mental health, Charlotte was pivotal in the development of the Standard Day campaign, which was initially delivered to professionals via performances and interactive workshops to challenge how organisations approach the concerns of their younger team members. A triumphant success, the campaign was later recommissioned and delivered directly to young people across the borough’s schools.
On the back of the campaign’s impact, Charlotte was later appointed as Chair and continued to spearhead the agenda around important issues, including knife crime awareness in schools as well as chairing a panel of experts for the COP26 - the recording of which was played around the Glasgow Botanical gardens during the event in 2021.
Commenting on her appointment, Charlotte said: “I am honoured to be taking on the Youth Mayor role, which will allow me to ensure the voices of young people are heard and represented. I want to thank the 13 Youth Mayors who went before me and whose legacy has afforded me this opportunity.
“Oldham has a diverse community of young people, all who, I believe, have something to be passionate about and I want to ensure they have the opportunity to cultivate that passion and achieve their full potential.”
Cllr Shaid Mushtaq, Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “Charlotte has a clear passion for making a difference for young people across Oldham, which has been demonstrated in the breadth of campaign work she has undertaken so far.
“I am certain Charlotte will be an inspirational Youth Mayor and will have the full engagement of her peers and communities alike. I wish her well and look forward to working with her over the next 12 months and seeing more campaigns come to fruition.”
Over the coming 12 months, Charlotte will shadow the mayor on civic engagements as well as continue to address the concerns, interests and needs of the young people in Oldham, acting as a local, regional and national ambassador for the borough.
To find out more about the Youth Council, please visit: https://oldhamyc.com