Youth MP Zainab Shah discusses her contribution to local life

November marks Islamophobia Awareness Month. The aim of IAM is to raise awareness of Islamophobia and to showcase the positive contributions of Muslims in society.

Witton Park High School pupil Zainab Shah became Youth MP for Blackburn with Darwen in March this year.

Since then Zainab has strived to make a direct impact on her community and shape the lives of young people for the better. Her role as Youth MP means she can take young people’s ideas and their stories to those in power and help create a positive change within the borough.

Zainab said:

Being a Youth MP provides me with opportunities to be able to reach out to the councillors and those in power to be able to make that change that needs to be made and make the young people within the borough feel heard and included within decisions that affect them equally as much as adults. This role provides a platform for young people to voice their opinion, gain experience in governance and influence decision making processes at a local or national level. It also provides me with amazing opportunities to travel across the country and network with other youth MPs and bring back ideas and programmes to our borough inspired by others.

Zainab feels her role as Youth MP is incredibly empowering and fulfilling and offers a unique opportunity to be the voice of the young people within the borough. It evokes a sense of pride within her and a commitment to bring positive changes to the community. 

Zainab continued:

It is extremely insightful to work with a diverse youth forum and visit other youth organisations within the borough. I find it very interesting and inspiring to network with others from different backgrounds and to listen to others’ stories. I encourage diversity as much as possible within the youth forum to ensure everyone’s voices are heard. And recently it was Youth Work Week where the theme for 2024 was diversity and inclusivity and the event we held for this truly encapsulates the vast diversity we have within youth spaces on both a local and national level.

Councillor Julie Gunn, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education has seen Zainab progress this year. She said:

In Blackburn with Darwen we are very fortunate to have so many amazing young people who contribute positively to the community. I am very proud of Zainab that she has continued to achieve this since she became Youth MP.  One of the aims of IAM is to challenge the stereotypes of Muslims. The Youth Forum achieves this by building strong relationships within our wide and diverse borough. Well done to Zainab for amplifying her voice at such a young age to share her experiences as a Muslim female within our community.