Neath Port Talbot Council’s Chief Executive Karen Jones has inaugurated Gracie Jones as the council’s new Youth Mayor at a ceremony held in the Civic Centre, Port Talbot, on St David’s Day, 2024.
Gracie, a pupil at St Joseph’s Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre, Port Talbot, and a member of Neath Port Talbot’s Youth Council, takes over from outgoing Youth Mayor Maddie Pritchard.
In her acceptance speech, new Youth Mayor Gracie said: “I want to bring even more engagement and interaction in schools, in youth groups and to young people in general on their opinions of the array of issues the Youth Council works on such as gathering surveys, statistics, and interviews.
“I want to promote all that the Youth Council does. With myself and the Youth Council being the democratic voice of the young people in the local area I want to resolve voiced issues to the best of my ability.
“According to surveys the youth council has carried out among the young people in our area, sexual health is among the main issues the youth want to improve.
“As a young person in Neath Port Talbot I as many others have heard and seen the implications of the lack of education and awareness on the issue of sexual health. Not everyone has someone to talk to, not everyone gets reliable advice.”
