TEENAGER T Jay Turner has been sworn in as the new Youth Mayor of Oldham.
The 17-year-old, from Royton, officially took on the role at the Youth Mayor-making ceremony on Wednesday, June 29 in the Council Chambers.
T Jay is currently studying for his A-levels at Oldham Sixth Form College and then plans to attend university to study English Literature.
Since being elected onto Oldham Youth Council four years ago T Jay has dedicated much of his time to ensuring young people across the borough have a voice.
As a youth councillor he has been involved in work including the Oldham Education and Skills Commission, leading on the Youth Council’s priority campaigns and volunteering.
He was the elected Member of Youth Parliament for Oldham 2015-2016 and is currently North Manchester Representative on YouthForia, the North West’s regional youth forum.
On becoming Oldham’s eighth Youth Mayor T Jay said: “I feel truly privileged. I hope to be a mouthpiece for the 28,000 whose voice is not necessarily the loudest.
“A role such as this is not a tokenistic one and I intend to utilise the opportunity to its full potential – to have conversations with key decision makers but more importantly, the young people themselves.
“I aim to be a role model for the children and young people of our borough and inspire a generation to view differently the democracy we are lucky to have in Oldham.”
Councillor Jean Stretton, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “It is extremely important the views and ideas of our young people are heard as they will shape the borough in years to come.
“I’d like to welcome T Jay to the role and I’m sure he’ll be a great credit to the borough over the coming 12-months.”
Find out more and get involved with Oldham Youth Council through their Facebook page.
