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She might be the voice of young people in Jersey, but this teen award-winner has an array of ideas to make the island a better place for all generations.
As member of St. Peter's Youth Club, Yasmine Bates was praised for showing "outstanding commitment" to putting young people first and ensuring their voices are heard, leading her to be named Jersey's 'Youth Ambassador' at a recent ceremony.
In her new role, Yasmine will help raise awareness and be the voice of the Jersey Youth Service across government and in the community.
The young girl was also recently recognised by St. Peter's Youth Club who awarded her the Diana Renault trophy.
The moment the new @JsyYouthService Youth Ambassador for 2019 was announced....
— Elaine Walker (@ewalkerbyrne) October 18, 2019
Huge congratulations to Yasmine Bates #YOSCARS19 @markcapern @ReformJersey @DeputyMacon @TAVallois @SaboohiFamili @GovJersey @MKMRogers pic.twitter.com/mwmtEL26sZ
“As a young person, I believe that being your true self is the best way to live," Yasmine said. "You should never change for people and always believe in yourself and that is when you will truly be happy. The Youth Service helps tremendously with young people to grow in confidence and find their true character.
“As a young person entering the Youth Service, I was shy and overwhelmed. Attending youth club has allowed me to grow in confidence and become who I am today: a proud and outgoing person. I am certain that if you believe in yourself or something you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it."
For Express, Yasmine has given some thought to how she would improve the island for young people, but also for the whole community...
I would like to see more conversations around mental health. We could give more time up in our day to talk to our friends, family and even those we meet out and about.
Pictured: Yasmine wants to see more dialogue around mental health.
It would be great to see more conversations around supporting those with poor mental health and those who know people struggling with their mental health. The community could give more access to eating healthy, exercise and support groups to help improve our mental health and create a positive environment.
It would be great to see more available accommodation for young adults aged 18 to 25. It seems almost impossible for young adults like myself to move out and find our first home whether it be buying or renting.
Pictured: It seems almost impossible for young adults to find somewhere to live, Yasmine says.
It is important for us to have our independence and it is a shame to see people leaving the island because of the unmanageable prices. To have a place on my own would be a great thing.
I travel to work every day by bus and I find this a great use of travel. I would like to see more interest in the use of public transport, travel by bike or by foot.
Pictured: There should be more support for the purchase of e-bikes.
In a world where reducing your carbon foot print is becoming important, I would like to see more support for aiding the public to buy e-bikes and use them as a form of travel or creating a system for free buses for those most in need of them. This would be a great option for our environment and our ever growing island.
School can be a tough time for young people and it is important for them to spend time with friends and family and enjoy being young. I would like to see a shift in homework heavy schooling and give more time and space to allow young people to get involved in activities such as football, biking, hockey, surfing, or any other hobbies the island offers.
Pictured: Less homework, more playtime.
Additionally, with less homework young people will have more time to spend with their family and bond relationships. We live in a fast paced environment and it would be great to see more time for families to be together.
Being on an island it can be hard to recycle but I would like to see more recycling happening in homes and reducing household waste. This could be as simple as reusing jars or making sure you reduce your food waste.
Pictured: More islanders need to recycle to keep the world beautiful.
It is important that we all take time to recycle and keep our island and our world beautiful.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Bailiwick Express.
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