The Leeds Children’s Mayor 2024 – 2025
Back in May, 23 schools submitted manifestos from 23 children in Year 5. They wrote about what they would like to do, if voted in as the next Leeds Children’s Mayor. Over the summer, they then canvassed for votes, in the hope of getting the most votes and being elected!
On 3 October, Civic Hall hosted the annual Finals Night for the position of Leeds Children’s Mayor, where Esosa was elected the Leeds Children’s Mayor for 2024/25!
More about her manifesto below…
Finals night…
The banqueting hall at the Civic Hall filled up with candidates, teachers, families, councillors and Leeds City Council representatives. After a game or two to get everyone warmed up, the event got underway!
Then, we heard each finalist read out the manifesto they submitted through their school. Every finalist did an amazing job reading their manifesto in front of a banqueting hall full of people!
Our 2024 finalists…
Next, the event moves through to the Chamber where Councillor Hayden gave a speech and we got ready to find out who had received the most votes!
Finally, it was revealed that Esosa had been voted in, and she got changed into the mayoral outfit and was announced into the chamber at the 2024 to 2025 Leeds Children’s Mayor.
The photographer took lots of photos and the other finalists all received a goodie bag and information about other opportunities they can get involved with.
The winning manifesto…
All the candidates must link their manifestos to one of the Child Friendly Leeds 12 wishes, and Esosa’s manifesto was all about Wish 1 – mental health and wellbeing.
Esosa’s manifesto sets out the following aims.
Schools could…
- Have a “Positive thoughts” day where we say positive sentences to each other every half term.
- Have a place to go to in school to be able to “Relax and Chat”.
- We could work the Mental Health Leads in school and with local groups to come into school and give us ideas on how to help ourselves.
Leeds as a city could:
- Introduce an annual Leeds Positive Thoughts Day where schools could enter a competition in the first year to create the logo and then each year to create a yearly badge for all to wear to promote the Positive Thoughts Day.
- All schools to have a trained councillor or access to a counsellor for children to be able to book into if they have any problems.
- Promote local youth therapy places and have these displayed in schools so we know where to go.
