Teenagers are rough, dirty and lazy, they don’t care about other peoples feelings and they don’t get up for the elderly on the bus. That seems to be the view of many adults of those children, aged thirteen to eighteen, who are otherwise known as ‘teenagers.’ It seems like a case of a few bad ones ruin it for the bunch, because most teenagers are kind, clean and friendly, although admittedly, we can be little misguided. Teenagers are the leaders of the future, we will look after the adults when they are too old to fend for themselves, and we will nurture and encourage the children of the future. We are often a lot more clever than many think and despite our limited years on this earth, many of us are actually acutely aware of how the world works.

For this reason, I think that it is great that Kingston council have recognised this and as a result, have set up a ‘Kingston Youth Council’ that gives teenagers the voice we so desperately desire. Kingston Youth Council or ‘KYC’ are a group of young people who join together to represent those of us otherwise unheard. Through KYC, Kingston council become informed of the relevant issues affecting children in their neighbourhoods and strive to involve young people directly with the organisations designed to benefit them. In short, they help tailor make the borough for the needs of young people. The young people involved in the organisation offer feedback and a new perspective to the councillors and ‘act as the umbrella forum for other young people . . . to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.’ The Kingston youth council employs teenagers from all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds to ensure that every aspect of teenage life is covered in discussions. KYC is described as a great way to socialize with a different crowd, have your voice heard and can be used in relation to the Duke of Edinburgh award Scheme.

So teenagers, think about the vast number of times you rant ‘No one ever listens to me’ or ‘Don’t treat me like a child’ because becoming involved in KYC is your chance to finally voice your opinions and to be treated like an adult and maybe, one day those adults will not see us as rough, dirty and lazy 'wasters', but as the gentle, clean and hard working people that we are.