Former Lewisham Young Mayor, Wilf Petherbridge, chaired a special cabinet meeting at Downing Street ahead of the launch of the Government's 10-year Youth Strategy.
Gordon Brown swapped places with 16 year-old Wilf yesterday, to allow him to chair a Youth Cabinet made up of a selection of young people from across the UK. They were given the chance to put questions to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet ministers about opportunities and facilities for young people.
Joining Gordon Brown for this special session was Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, The Rt Hon David Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, The Rt Hon Ed Balls MP and Children's Minister, Beverly Hughes MP.
Wilf co-chaired the year-long Make Space Youth Review which examined lives of young people in the UK today. The inquiry asked over 16,000 young people what provisions they needed to ensure healthy, fulfilling and exciting teenage years. The findings of the review informed the development of the Government's new 10-year Youth Strategy.
Wilf said, "This was another great opportunity to demonstrate the way in which adults and young people can work positively together, the way we do in Lewisham.
"Through the Make Space Youth Review, we have talked to thousands of young people across the country and we are all saying the same thing -- we want to positively contribute to ensuring that youth provision meets our needs and helps us to fulfil our potential."
Councillor Robert Massey, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said, "With his excellent report and now a meeting with Gordon Brown, Wilf has demonstrated just how much our young people can achieve.
"To see a young man from Lewisham sitting in the Prime Minister's chair demonstrates that local and national politicians alike take the Young Mayor scheme very seriously indeed.
"I hope this encourages even more of our under-18s to think about running in the elections this autumn - just look where it might lead them!"