Cllr Bashir Ibrahim, Islington Council’s Young People’s Champion and Labour Councillor for Arsenal writes on International Youth Day

Recent summers have been tough on young people. Lockdown, illness, missed social opportunities, and so much to catch up on having faced covid-related educational disruption. Add in the Government’s chaotic handling of exam results, and the last couple of years have been summers to forget – for all the wrong reasons.

Nevertheless, our Labour-run Council have been there throughout: getting food out to those who need it most, and running sport, skills and social opportunities for thousands of young people this year and every year. It’s important at the best of times, but in the context of the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis, it matters now more than ever.

I should know – I was born and raised in this borough, and what was offered in years gone by pales in comparison with what our Labour-run Council offers young people today. As a Governor at Pakeman Primary School, I’ve seen first-hand the difference these opportunities make, giving young people the confidence, skills and self-belief that are taken for granted in many wealthier parts of the country. It’s why I stood for election in the first place, and it’s why I put myself forwards to be Islington Council’s first-ever Young People’s Champion, bringing my lived experience and knowledge of what it is to be young in Islington into the Town Hall to amplify the voices of my generation and younger people.

Young people have sadly found themselves at the sharp end of a succession of crises, resulting in ever-widening generational inequality, diminishing opportunities, scandalous levels of education-related debt, and a future set to be defined by a climate that is seemingly out of control. In few places is this question of generational justice more relevant than in Islington, with the latest census data showing well over half of our population to be under the age of 35.

That’s why this Labour-run Council works so hard to give young people the very best start in life, from universal free school meals for primary-age children, to our bursaries for college students in need of a helping hand. I’m incredibly proud also to serve on a Council that has moved heaven and earth to safeguard youth budgets and facilities, despite ongoing Tory austerity. And it doesn’t stop there: we’re determined to be a partner for young people beyond their school years, which is why we’re opening a new youth employment hub at West Library, while taking the action across the board from housing to climate to secure a liveable, prosperous and sustainable future.

Things aren’t easy right now. Household budgets are under enormous pressure, with real practical and emotional consequences for so many of the young people who live here. The Tories have turned their backs on them, so it once again falls to us to step into the breach, providing vital food and opportunities for young people, and support for parents and carers.

So this International Youth Day, we renew our commitment to Islington’s young people – sending the message loud and clear from the Town Hall that no matter what the Tory Government continues to chuck at us, we will always be on your side.

I know Islington can be a wonderful place to live, and this summer we want all our young people to be enjoy what it has to offer. The chance to play, exercise, learn and grow. The chance for this to finally be a summer to remember, for all the right reasons.