Mehak Sheikh: “We've got to get behind each other if we want to see governance that reflects our values.”
Mehak Sheikh is a young person living within Wyndham City Council. In her day job as Social Innovation Manager, Mehak is responsible for supporting the social innovation ecosystem of young people leading social change initiatives. She brings lived and work experiences from the migrant and refugee youth sector, local government and youth consultancy. Mehak was previously a YLab Associate and brings a co-design, youth-led, community building mindset to her work.
This week, we got in touch with Mehak to talk all-things youth civic engagement.
Why do you think young people should be more involved in civic affairs?
Mehak: If someone has seen me speak on this before, they've heard me say it many times but civic affairs start in our homes, on our streets and in our neighbourhoods - that's why local government can be an effective place to create change. We create the societies and cultures we live in and politics is about opinions on various elements of society.
Politics has always been described as "ugly" or it's always felt like a faraway thing that happens with older people only, but this shouldn't be the case because "civic affairs" or "politics" literally affects our day-to-day, it's the difference between having access to education, employment, and even a social life, so of course we should have a say.
“...civic affairs start in our homes, on our streets and in our neighbourhoods - that’s why local government can be an effective place to create change”
Also, I know that many times young people are redirected to "youth services" and while it's important to have a space for young people to go exclusively, I just want to remind my peers that we're also users of roads, occupants of houses, recipients of laws and carers of the environment, amongst other things, so actually we need to have a say in all these other areas too. This is why I think young people should be more involved.
What do you think are the key causes and impact areas that demand more attention right now?
Mehak: I believe there's a disconnect between the local council and the local residents - I sense a frustration from the older communities for not being heard or supported and apathy from younger communities which I think is from not being represented or seen in local politics. Further to this, I think local issues aren't addressed from a systematic lens which means we're very reactive to developments and changes happening in our world, and as diverse municipality, I believe we need a more proactive approach. I also think given our diversity, more investment is needed in building bridges between communities complementary to providing a safe space, it feels very one or the other at the moment. Finally, I think young people are being left behind, whether that's conversations of civic engagement, leadership opportunities, pathways or simply a recognition of their value in society - and this is something I care deeply about.
What is your message to other young people who might be thinking about running this year?
Mehak: DO IT! We're living through a revolution of many kinds from the Black Lives Matter movements to #metoo campaigns and I know that young people have had enough of seeing injustices and inequalities in our world, so let's change it for us and the generations that will come after us! And also, if you don't want to run - who can you tap on the shoulder to run? who can you volunteer your time with? We've got to get behind each other if we want to see governance that reflects our values.
Connect with Mehak on LinkedIn
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