Welsh Youth Parliament election candidates bid for votes

There's a national election happening in Wales, but you may not be aware it is going on.

However for 60 keen politicos between the ages of 11 and 17, votes from their peers cast across the first three weeks in November could see them elected to represent the nation's youth in the second Welsh Youth Parliament.

They will stand for the same 40 constituencies as the adult members of the Senedd, or Welsh Parliament, with a further 20 nominated by voluntary and charitable organisations to ensure a range of voices are heard and represented.

The elections are not run on party political lines and anyone within the right age range could nominate themselves up to the deadline in September.

As a result, the chances of getting elected can vary widely.

There are only two candidates in south Wales's Merthyr seat or Alyn and Deeside in the north, but out west in Preseli Pembrokeshire, it feels like you could throw a manifesto anywhere and still hit a candidate, with an impressive 20 people on the slate.

What motivates these children - who could potentially still be in primary school - to put themselves forward?

Three young women are hoping to win the seat of Delyn in Flintshire, north-east Wales, a largely rural area, but including towns such as Flint and Mold and close to the Deeside industrial area.

The youngest of the trio at "nearly 13", Farah Harba has had a lot of upheaval in her short life.

Originally from Syria, her family moved to Lebanon because of the war in her homeland, and she spent six years there before moving to Wales three years ago.

When she arrived, Farah did not speak any English but now studies at Flint High School.

She found out about the youth parliament through her involvement with the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team charity and decided it would be a good thing to try to get elected.

"I want to promote kindness among young people in Delyn and throughout Wales," she told BBC Wales.

"I deeply care about other people's voices. Young people from different backgrounds and young people of different religions."

Farah would like to focus on education, health and the environment if she got elected.

"I would really like to work on helping people," she said.

"I really think that young people should let their voice be heard and not be shy or scared of anything."

Farah's bid is being supported by Laura Giudici, a teacher for Language for Living, the education arm of refugee charity Flintshire City for Sanctuary.

She said: "Farah's created a Tiktok and some social media profiles. We've had leaflets created and they are being delivered to the high schools in Delyn. We've also shared the leaflet electronically with schools as well."

Miri Kingsley, a Year 9 student at Ysgol Treffynnon in Holywell, Flintshire, wants to use experience gained as an voluntary advocate for children in care to inform her work if she is the voters' choice.

The 14-year-old already acts as a "buddy" to children who take part in group meetings through the 4Cs network - the Children's Commissioning Consortium Cymru - which works with vulnerable young people across council areas and for whom she is a Young Commissioner.

She said: "I think people should vote for me because I understand a lot about the economy and I want to help people living in poverty and give other people an understanding of how they could help.

"I care a lot about mental health as I struggle with anxiety myself so it is quite challenging at times when people say 'oh, you look like an ordinary child' when really you can be classed as not ordinary.

"Lockdown has had a big impact on lot of people's mental health and wellbeing so I think that would be one of the main issues to look at."

Having a relative who served as a local councillor and later mayor, she has seen close up the responsibilities and stresses faced by politicians at all levels but it has not deterred her from wanting to get involved herself, now and in the future.

If elected she thinks the experience of seeing how the Senedd runs and decisions are made would give her an opportunity to explain its workings to others, and also examine how it could be developed and changed.

"I think the NHS could do with more funding and more activities and places for people to go with their mental health, instead of just speaking to a counsellor," she said.

"In my local area there's no community places for people to go to to speak to other people who have the same mental health as them."

When Laura Green is asked what is the one topic she would choose to work on if she was selected, she does not hesitate.

"100% mental health," she instantly replies.

The 16-year-old A-level student at Deeside Sixth student from Mynydd Isa, Flintshire, told BBC Wales the issue came up frequently.

"I'm surrounded by people who deal with mental health struggles and battles and have taken into consideration how they feel, especially about how systems like CAMHS [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service] have left many teens my age feeling forgotten or isolated," she said.

"Especially due to the long wait for example, the five-years-long waiting list."

She wants to help build policies that will be "inclusive and effective for a larger sample group of sufferers as mental health isn't black and white".

She added: "Systems are inadequate in my own experience and for those around me. We need to look carefully at modern causes and how to mitigate them."

As well as mental health, her particular concerns are water quality and its impact on rivers and coastal systems, and increasing diversity of opportunity for young people.

"There are many opportunities available but many feel unable to take advantage of them," she explained."

"We need to create an environment where everyone feels empowered."

Young people have until 17:00 GMT on 12 November to register if they want to be able to take part in voting, which closes at midday on 22 November.

Evan Burgess, 17, who is now studying at Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan, became a member for the north Wales seat of Aberconwy in the first session of the Welsh Youth Parliament which ran from December 2018 for two years.

"It was a real honour to be able to represent young people from my area," he said.

"But on a personal level it was a really positive experience to have the opportunity of making your own speeches in the Welsh Parliament, to have the opportunity to visit that amazing building where so much history has taken place."

"We worked together [with Senedd members and staff] on reports with three different committees and it was a real honour to be able to sit there and hear the recommendations that you put forward from your report being read out in the assembly," he said.

One of the areas he looked at was litter and plastic waste, and while Evan had a personal concern for the environment before he joined, it was also the viewpoints and arguments of fellow young members that helped shape his understanding and provoke further interest.

"I remember vividly one member saying in their speech 'how would you feel looking back in a few years' time seeing issues with the environment and knowing that you chose not to work on that?'" he said.

"I think that was something really persuasive."

His advice to those who triumph in this round of elections?

"To get the most out of the experience make sure you grab it with both hands.

"The youth parliament gives you some amazing opportunities and the chance to see some incredible things. And it's up to you to take those opportunities that you're given."