Name: Chris Gordge

Position: Deputy MYP

Constituency: Kirklees

Which political issues are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about ensuring that young people have somewhere to go and something to do. This combined with the desire that every young person has equal opportunities and the chance to express their views.

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

I believe that there are two issues as important as each other in my constituency. The first is transport. With Kirklees being generally a rural area, transport is a big influence in our lives. It is important to sustain reliable, inexpensive travel to prevent young people feeling isolated. The next issue is that the young people are unaware of the youth services available to them. There is a general rumour of ‘there’s nothing to do’. Services such as YPS run plenty of facilities allowing young people to have good quality youth provisions, however, they are unaware of them. Therefore, I believe they could be advertised better. i.e. through social networking sites and schools.

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

Throughout my term of office, I hope to ensure that I have acted successfully as a voice for young people on a local, regional and national scale. I hope to change some of the ways that young people are viewed to adults – through a regional campaign. I will also want to ensure that I have not only voiced but acted upon young people’s opinions in Kirklees.

What is your future career ambition?

I haven’t decided on my career, however I believe that I want a career based around some of my skills that I am gaining now, e.g. working with young people.

Which public figure do you most admire and why?

I don’t think that it is fair to choose someone that is most important as some of the more ‘famous’ figures in modern day society have been influenced by other people in some way or another. My opinion is that everyone is equal.

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

Listen to what we say – after all, we will eventually be in the positions that you are in. Please don’t dismiss our opinions because we are young people. There are a majority of young people that want something changing – so take the time to listen to us.

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