I’m Mikey J Marsden MYP, a youth voice representative, disability advocate, and one of three recently elected Members of Youth Parliament for Leeds.
Members of Youth Parliament are young people who represent the city on a regional and national scale, attending regional youth conventions, debates, and even House of Commons sittings. In Leeds, we have three MYPs, and the previous cohort consisted of Zani Cai, Wania Ahmad, and Emmanuel Jah. My term as an MYP officially begins on March 1st, 2026, and I’m very pleased to be working alongside Zaina Khan and Priscilla Basil for the next two years.
I live with a condition called Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), which is a dysfunction of my autonomic nervous system, and can be very debilitating and disabling. I work with various youth organisations, including Leeds SEND Youth Council, NHS Leeds Youth Board, UK Youth Parliament, and many others, to try and make the UK more accessible and inclusive for young people living with SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) – this is the focus of my manifesto for the next two years. However, as a team, Zaina, Priscilla, and I will also be working on lots of different projects involving youth empowerment, making Leeds ‘child-friendly’, and so much more!
Zaina’s manifesto focuses on addressing the cycle of youth poverty by transforming disused community spaces into youth-led hubs that provide free activities and career-building volunteering opportunities for young people. She proposes a collabortaive model where corporate partnerships offer professional skill-building workshops, bridging the gap between education and employment. Ultimately, Zaina’s vision integrates accessible mental health support within schools and clubs to ensure a young person’s background never dictates their future potential!
Priscilla’s manifesto focuses on ensuring that mental health support for young people is no longer ‘one size fits all’, and that services are more prepared to provide tailored care that is accessible to young people in all areas from all backgrounds. Priscilla has been working on this for some time now as a member of YouthWatch, where she has visited and worked with different mental health services around Leeds!
Whilst I’ve been preparing for my start of term as an MYP, I have been attending meetings with the past and current MYPs to gain crucial advice and get me ready to take up my role – and now that’s happening!
I recently attended the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board Takeover at the Leeds Civic Hall, where young people from groups around Leeds got to represent their organisation and speak to decision-makers from organisations such as the NHS, Child Friendly Leeds, Mindmate, and more. I represented the Leeds SEND Youth Council, alongside some of our other members, and we spoke about our Disability Pride Campaign, which focuses on challenging stigmas and misconceptions around disability, using our campaign slogan: “Abilities Outweigh Disabilities.” I look forward to the work we will continue with the CYP Partnership Board, and the impact it will have on young people with SEND in Leeds.
I am also very pleased to announce that I have been chosen to be an ambassador for the Children’s Commissioner (CCom) for England: Dame Rachel de Souza. I will be in this role for all of 2026, and it’s such an amazing opportunity to work with decision makers in the UK Government and advocate for SEND on a national level. As Children’s Commissioner, it is Dame Rachel’s duty to promote and protect the rights of all children, with particular regard to children who are living away from home or receiving social care services. Her priority is to listen to children across the country, to hear about their lives and champion their voices. As one of her ambassadors, it will be my job to make sure that politicians listen and act upon what children and young people have said would make their lives better!
Overall, I’m so pleased to be taking up the role of MYP for Leeds with Zaina and Priscilla, and to be taking my disability advocacy to a national level with Youth Parliament and the CCom Ambassador Programme. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any enquiries. I absolutely love to be involved in my community and can’t wait to see what March brings in the world of Youth Voice and Disability Advocacy!
This post was written by Mikey J Marsden
Photo: CYP Partnership Board Takeover, L-R: Zaina Khan, Mikey J Marsden, Priscilla Basil
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