An Ammanford teenager will be representing Carmarthenshire at the House of Commons later this year.
Thomas Vaughan-Jones, aged 14, has been elected by members of the Carmarthenshire Youth Council (CYC) to represent the county at the UK Youth Parliament for 2018.
He will be joining over 300 members who will take part in the UKYP’s annual sitting which is a national debate in the House of Commons, Westminster, in November.
Thomas, a pupil at Amman Valley School will hold the prestigious position of UKYP member for 18 months.
Over Easter Thomas had the opportunity to take part in the National Youth Voice Leadership Development Programme in Swindon which was aimed at helping him develop his skills that he will be using as the new UKYP representative for Carmarthenshire.
Thomas said: “I’m really happy to have been elected as Carmarthenshire’s 2018 member for the UK Youth Parliament and want to continue to listen to young people’s ideas and views, making sure that I represent Carmarthenshire on a national and UK platform. I would like to thank the Youth Council for giving me this opportunity. I haven’t done anything like this before and I’m really looking forward to the year ahead.”
Thomas will be leading on this year’s Make Your Mark ballot this Summer and encouraging other young people in the county to get involved in having a say nationally. Make Your Mark is the largest youth consultation across the UK with 954,766 young people taking part last year across the UK.
Last year CYC encouraged 4,635 young people aged 11-18 across Carmarthenshire to get involved in the ballot, Thomas is going to attempt to beat last year’s total, by encouraging young people across the county to vote on the issues that are important to them.
Executive board member for education and children’s service, Cllr Glynog Davies, said: “I would like to wish Thomas all the best as he takes on the role of UKYP member for the next 18-months, and particularly when he takes part in the national debate in the House of Commons, Westminster, in November.”
• To find out more about Carmarthenshire Youth Council please go to www.youthsirgar.org.uk
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