Young people in Walthamstow are challenging the stereotype that we’re only passive bystanders in politics

My name is Asher Mohammed. I’m 14 years old and live in Waltham Forest. I am currently studying at Walthamstow Academy and in the first year of my GCSEs. I joined the Labour Party at the age of 14. Since doing so, I’ve learned how to work well within a large group of campaigners and about the basics to structuring a campaign.

This inspired me to become part of Walthamstow’s “Our Bodies, Our Future” – a campaign to ensure every young person in our community gets the best sex and relationship education (SRE) in our schools.

Being part of this campaign has developed my team work and leadership skills. But it’s also taught me that community work isn’t just about party politics but individual passion and interest, too.

The societal injustices that young people face are horrific. Whether it’s homophobic bullying or gang violence, it’s our responsibility as a society to take a stand. That’s one of the reason I joined the Labour Party in the first place. As a community the earlier we address these issues the better. It’s our duty to ensure every young person is given safe guidance to benefit their own and others wellbeing.

Furthermore, we need to ensure every young person is appropriately educated about sex and relationships. Being a young person I’ve witnessed firsthand the effects issues such as sexual harassment, sexting and rape culture have had on my peers.

To build a strong community in Waltham Forest where we all feel comfortable, we need to be open about the issues that affect us. Only then will we break the cycle of negative youth culture.

On Saturday, we’re holding an “Our Bodies, Our Future” conference, organised by Stella Creasy MP and young volunteers. The conference shouldn’t be the end, but a gateway that will lead to even bigger events and change. The most remarkable achievement of this campaign has been the fact that it has been organised by young people. It’s important that a conference focussed on young people is organised and run by young people, only then will the full objective of the conference be achieved.

I’m amazed at the popularity of the event, so many people even from outside Waltham Forest are down to attend. The impact of this conference will be hopefully be significant, and perhap inspiring more communities like Waltham Forest to take similar actions and build on this type of community work and development.

Young people in Walthamstow are challenging the stereotype that we’re only ever victims of injustice or passive bystanders in campaigns for change. We are showing that when a community really feels strongly about something, people of all ages can come together and make change possible.