Name: Vicky Olive

Position: MYP

Constituency: Poole

Which political issues are you most passionate about?

I think that it is really important that all young people are given the opportunity to get their voices heard instead of just the ‘fortunate’ few. Also I feel compulsory political education is a must – how can we vote if we don’t know what we’re voting for?!

What do you feel is the biggest issue for young people in your constituency?

I don’t think there is one really big issue for young people in Poole but there are lots of things that could be improved, for example, it would be great if there were more job opportunities for young people. Also, safety on the streets and education – we should learn about more life skills and things that will actually be of use to our daily life!

What do you hope to achieve during your term of office?

I would love to get an improved political education system in Poole schools so that all young people know a bit about how their country is run. I also hope to get more young people involved in their community and local democracy, in organisations such as UKYP and finally I hope to get an improved sense of community in Poole with better relationships between the generations, different schools, areas etc.

What is your future career ambition?

I’m not sure exactly at the moment but I know I definitely want to stay involved in politics and that kind of thing, so maybe a career in politics/government. Otherwise I think I would quite like to be a teacher but I’m keeping my options open.

Which public figure do you most admire and why?

There are so many people who have done such amazing things who I really admire, such as soldiers who served in the Iraq or Afghanistan war and suffered terrible injuries to protect us. They then came back to England and continued living their life with no complaints and many have taken up charity work to help others. They have overcome such a lot with huge amounts of courage, but that’s just one example.

If there was one message you could send to the government, what would it be?

Young people have so many good ideas about how the country can be improved, and have such a lot to give, all they need is to be listened to and treated as an equal instead of looked down upon as “yobs”. Young people’s opinions are as valid as any adults so should be treated that way.

Additional comments:

I can’t wait to get involved in UKYP and am really looking forward to the year ahead (:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

East Midlands | East of England | London | North East | North West | Scotland | South East | South West | Wales | West Midlands | Yorkshire & Humberside