Young leader says small islands have the power to drive global change

Jersey student calls for urgent action on mental health in powerful UK Youth Parliament speech

A 17-year-old student from Jersey has urged leaders to take immediate action to improve mental health support for young people, telling the UK Youth Parliament that even the smallest communities can drive meaningful change.

Beaulieu Convent Catholic School student Zahara addressed more than 300 attendees at the annual sitting of the Youth Parliament in London on 6 November, using her first speech to highlight long waiting times for therapy and neurodevelopmental assessments for conditions such as ADHD and autism.

“In a close-knit community such as Jersey, these challenges are amplified by stigma,” she told delegates. She called for more trained mental health professionals to be placed in schools, saying, “If we act now, if we listen to our young people, we can build a future where nobody feels invisible, unheard or unsupported.”

Speaking afterwards, Zahara said the experience had strengthened her ambition to pursue a career in politics. “This has definitely solidified that I want to do politics in the future, as I’ve seen how it can help people,” she told media.

The Government of Jersey has said it is developing a new five-year plan to reshape mental health services across the island.

Representatives from Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and the British Overseas Territories took part in the event, hosted by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Reflecting on the experience, Zahara admitted to some pre-speech nerves: “I was very nervous and kind of panicking beforehand. But during the speech I calmed down a bit — I just pretended I was talking in front of my mum.”