Find out how you can become the Leeds Children’s Mayor.
Who can get involved
-
Children in year 5: can enter to become the next Leeds Children’s Mayor
-
Young people aged 18 or younger: can vote for the next Leeds Children’s Mayor.
Current Leeds Children’s Mayor
The twenty first Children's Mayor of Leeds is Esosa from St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School.
Read about the current Leeds Children’s Mayor and their manifesto
The current Leeds Children's Mayor
Esosa became the 2024-25 Leeds Children's Mayor in October 2024 with a total of 6,204 children and young people voting in the elections.
Esosa's manifesto is about tackling mental health and wellbeing to help Leeds have an improved, positive future.
Esosa's manifesto
My manifesto is about mental health and wellbeing.
If I was Leeds Children's Mayor I would tackle mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health is important because it can affect how we handle stress and make choices and it influences your daily life. People all around Leeds should be aware of mental health effects. Therapy sessions can be around £30 which can be an expensive part of a family budget. If we don't tackle mental health at a young age it can impact the way we grow up and become and adult.
Schools could:
- Have a "Positive thoughts" day where we say positive sentences to each other – we could do a day every half term – this would boost everyone's happiness and those with mental health problems may feel like they can talk to someone
- Have a place to go to in school to be able to "Relax and Chat", inside or outside, we could decorate a space or a bench in a calm and safe way, and have chance to go there with permission to be able to talk to an adult of our choice or take a friend, this can have some calming music, books and nice smelling things
- We could work the Mental Health Leads in school and with local groups such as D-Side to arrange groups to come into school and explain the ises with mental health and give us ideas on how to help ourselves by doing small group work and helping us to understand the language and how we can spot issues and give advice to other children who may need it.
Leeds as a city could:
- Encourage groups of schools to have children ambassadors that can create resources and packs, share these and do lessons about mental health by children for children including introducing an annual Leeds Positive Thoughts Day where schools could enter a competition in the first year to create the logo and then each year to create a yearly badge for all to wear to promote the Positive Thoughts Day helping children and staff to remind them to be positive. This day could be during the annual Mental Health Week
- In the future, for all schools to have a trained councillor or access to a counsellor for children to be able to book into if they have any problems they want to speak to or roll out and create their own "Relax and Chat" spaces around schools, in Leeds whether this be a bench or an area for lonely/vulnerable people
- Promote local youth therapy places and have these displayed in schools so we know where to go and is free for primary school children or a small cost to families so that everyone can access it
If mental health is tackled early through therapy, talking and understanding the issues, then we can help Leeds to have an improved, positive future.
What is involved
- Year 5 children write a manifesto which their school submits in June
- The manifestos are shortlisted in July and the final twelve attend a 'what to expect' session before campaigning for votes over the summer
- The winner is announced at a celebratory finals night in October before serving a one year term
- The winner works with the Voice, Influence and Change team to make their manifesto a reality
- They work with democratic services to attend various events and occasions alongside the
Lord Mayor of Leeds
Benefits
- Develop skills and confidence in public speaking
- Experience campaigning and canvassing for votes
- Meet lots of different people including councillors and the Lord Mayor
Get involved
Tell your school about the project and encourage them to submit their year 5 manifesto in June.
Vote for your favourite manifestos every summer.
Further information
List of the previous Leeds Children’s Mayors
Previous Children's Mayors
The Leeds Children's Mayors since 2011 were:
- Mohammed Hussein, Ireland Wood Primary (2023-24)
- Mason Hicks, Whitkirk Primary (2022-23)
- Zulaykha Hussain, Bardsey Primary (2021-22)
- Samuel Hill, Carr Manor Community School (2020-21)
- Wania Ahmad, Harehills Primary (2019-20)
- Rio Abbott, Grange Farm Primary (2018-19)
- Isla Bentley, Gildersome Primary (2017-18)
- Grace Branford, Drighlington Primary (2016-17)
- Hannah Begum, Hunslet Moor Primary (2015-16)
- Amy Eckworth-Jones, Strawberry Fields Primary (2014-15)
- Charlotte Williams, Rufford Park Primary (2013-14)
- Oliver Larking, Bardsey Primary (2012-13)
- Joe Smith, Strawberry Fields Primary (2011-12)
From 2004 until 2014 we had a Mayor for a Day.
