Although Tristan Chen-Bouskill was elected as Youth Parliament Member for West Norfolk and Breckland earlier in the year, and had already taken up his post, local elections had delayed the formal inauguration until the end of July.

“In essence, the role allows me to act as the voice for the young people of the West Norfolk and Brecklands area,” he said.

“The other MYPs and I have the job of collecting the opinions, concerns, demands, and needs of our constituencies, and then to relay our findings, along with our own proposed solutions, to those who have the power to action them, such as MPs, local councillors, and government officials.”

Tristan is one of four current Members of the Youth Parliament, and the third ever to be elected from our school, which is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust. The post is for a two-year term, and the MYPs are supported by four Deputy Members.

He continued: “My decision to stand came from a desire to create real, positive change in my community, and to gain that power not only through giving myself a political voice, but, more importantly, becoming the voice of the young people in the West Norfolk and Brecklands area.

“I know how it is to feel powerless in the grand scheme of things – however, the opportunity to engage with the Youth Parliament was a reminder that, no matter how we feel, the chance to make a difference is always within reach.”

The inauguration was held in the Council Chamber, where Deputy Chairman Cllr Mike Westman, and the Cabinet Member for Children, Families, and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), Wendy Atkinson, were on hand to welcome the newcomers.

Tristan added: “Now that I have been elected, my job will be to continue to collect the opinions of my constituents and to feed these back to the Youth Parliament. Personally, at the forefront of my mind going into this two-year journey, is the health of young people.

“I’d love to ensure that in schools, students of all ages are provided with healthier, and still delicious, alternatives to the large amounts of ultra-processed and generally unhealthy canteen food that we have all grown to know.

“Of course, though, healthy eating should go hand in hand with exercise – I’d also love to help the young people of Norfolk to become more active.

“I believe that achievements like these are a great thing to either be part of or to see, as a young person from Norfolk. I think it’s important that, as a collective, we remember that these types of opportunities do exist, that young people can have a say in the world of politics, and that anyone can reach for these chances, as long as they set their minds to it.”