Teens from Bradford hope to create a shift in the city’s political climate after an inspiring visit to the Houses of Parliament.
Sharat Hussain, founder of the church-based Mary Magdalene CiC project in Manningham, is on a mission to guide teenage boys through the dangerous temptations of the modern world.
The latest project saw the club dive into the world of politics, the importance of voting during elections and how the Government works.
It led one of the group’s members, Muhammad Ali Islam, to run as an independent candidate in this year’s local election and win votes from 1,621 people.
Sharat told the Telegraph & Argus: “We felt that young people’s voices were never heard, never recognised and decisions were made on their behalf.
“We got the opportunity to look at where the action really happens. We got to see where all history is made.
“We did a workshop, they [the young people] said they want to see more young people voting and they feel like they’ve lost touch.
“Young people got to see the real Parliament behind the scenes, where the house speaker sits, where the Prime Minister sits, all that stuff. It was really exciting for young people.
Read more: How youth workers are steering Bradford's at-risk teens away from a life of crime
“Muhammad Ali Islam is a candidate, our aim is to get more people that don’t normally vote. If you look at Manningham itself, there was only 11,000 people registered to vote. There’s a lot of absent voters - people who are registered as voters but don’t vote.
“It was a learning experience.
“To be the first 18-year-old to create shockwaves in the election, he was using social media to reach out to thousands and thousands of people. He was using TikTok, Instagram. It’s encouraging more young people to get involved in politics and he was absolutely brilliant.”
The youth worker added: “When we ran our workshops it was an eye opener because they never knew these decisions or information was always available to them. Now we know if there’s any concerns or issues we can speak to our local MP.”
Drawing from their motivating visit to Parliament, Sharat hopes to set up a youth parliament in Bradford.
He said: “We need more young people coming forward saying, ‘This is our city’. We need to be more involved in this.
“We’re looking at a young person in each area of Bradford.”
Muhammad, who hopes to run again in the next election, added: “More parliamentary visits should be easily accessible in order to encourage the future young people into politics and voting.”
Have you got a story for us? Email newsdesk@telegraphandargus.co.uk or contact us here or WhatsApp us on 07720403052.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.
You can also call us on 01274 705292.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here