Well, that went awfully quickly.
2022 is now over and I thought it’d be nice to welcome the new year with a look over what happened last year, as well as what’s coming next. So, without further ado, let’s jump in.
January
Fresh off the ballot paper from the November 2021 elections, January contained my second-ever KYCC meeting (excluding candidate info meetings), although online. In this meeting, I selected my campaign and project group, Feeling Safe and Equality respectively, and we began our work. I also attended the judging of the Spirit of Try Angle awards, which seeks to recognise the outstanding achievements of young people across Kent.
February
This month was a turning point, where I started to fully dive into everything KYCC had to offer. I stood and won the Kent UKYP election, along with 6 of my colleagues, making me a member of the Youth Parliament and kicking off my work on the Make Your Mark election. I also attended a workshop on presentation skills with the council, and my campaigning to save the local X1/2 bus routes began. I’m still working on this issue today.
March
This month’s KYCC meeting was filled with plenty of campaigning, starting with the issue of bus cuts carried over from last month. However, the issues surrounding the future of Kent’s transport got worse with the price hike of the Kent Travel Saver bus pass, seen as unaffordable to many. In March’s meeting, we did have the opportunity to meet with a councilwoman about this, but despite our questioning we didn’t get much in the form of answers. I also discussed with some colleagues in the environment group about the development of Broadwater Farm near Kings Hill, as the last thing we need around here is more unaffordable suburbia. I will continue to put pressure on this development.
April
Not much from KYCC this month, just a continuation of my normal work, but UKYP held an induction for all the new MYPs, which I participated in. The meeting involved a simulation of some things you might do as an MYP, like meeting with a less-than-cooperative councillor and helping set up an NHS Youth Forum with the NHS commissioners. This part of the meeting had a competitive aspect, and our group ended up winning!
May
Nothing outstanding happened this month, just my normal KYCC & UKYP work.
June
I started the month by submitting my policy towards the UKYP manifesto, surrounding transport in the UK, before going to KYCC and talking with some officers from Kent Police about the resources available to young people. I also attended a virtual convention with the British Youth Council, involving the discussion of barriers between young people and leadership positions, as well as UKYP’s activities like Make Your Mark and Votes At 16.
I feel like I’m forgetting something for this month though…
July
This month was the month of UKYP’s annual conference! I’ve already summarised that here, so if you haven’t already read that post I do recommend it!
August
Ahh, the summer holidays. I wish they were just a bit longer.
This month I attended a residential with KYCC, in which we did some fun team-building activities (yes, KYCC isn’t all politics). My policy surrounding transport also passed with 83% of the vote, showing UKYP’s continued commitment to transport. I also promoted the “Assess your Access” and “Big Bins, Less Bins” from Emma Prach and Tymek Kiliszek respectively. Speaking of campaigns…
This month is the month I launched my new transport advocacy group, Transit96. We’re working tirelessly to campaign for better transport in the UK, and you can join the fight too. Click here to access our recruitment form.
September
This month, I held a focus group on behalf of UKYP at Maidstone Grammar School on the topic of Health and Well-being, forming part of the final Make Your Mark report. I also attended multiple roundtables, spanning from KYCC staff discussing the THRIVE model of mental health support to officials from the Dept of Health and Social Care discussing the national mental health system in the UK.
October
I’ve already summarised this month! You can find all the details regarding October in the following embed.
November
I’ve already summarised this month! You can find all the details regarding November (including the Commons!) in the following embed.
December
And we’ve finally caught up! Not much has happened in the youth voice space this month, so I’ll use this section for closing remarks. This year has been an incredible one and has changed my life in so many unpredictable ways, as well as giving me so many unforgettable experiences. I also want to extend thanks to you, the reader. Whether you voted for me back in November of 2021, followed my youth voice journey on socials, volunteered to help at Transit96, or just stumbled upon this post out of sheer luck, thanks for being here.
A few specific mentions:
- All the staff at KYCC! You’ve helped me achieve so much this year and enabled me to push further than I thought was possible.
- My friends and colleagues in the Feeling Safe or UKYP group at KYCC! Thanks for helping me as we worked together to achieve a better Kent, and for holding my weird conversations as we went to Taco Bell for lunch.
- All my other KYCC colleagues! There are a lot of you, but I’ve learned so much from each and every one of you, even if we’ve only bumped into each other once.
- My fellow MYPs! You lot are a continued source of inspiration to me and are actually what motivated me to pursue endeavours like Transit96, as well as being a generally fun and chill bunch.
- All the staff at BYC! You guys are the reason I can live out this dream no matter what happens, I couldn’t do this without you.
- My Transit96 colleagues! You guys are the best, I couldn’t do this without you.
- The guys at Young Voices Heard (especially James Cathcart)! Thanks for supporting me and I hope I can continue to provide information regarding UKYP to you.
- Ben Howlett! Thanks for being the first (ex-)politician to reach out to me and offer your help, I appreciate it.
That should be it but given my memory, I’ve probably forgotten somebody, so if you aren’t on this list just know that I appreciate your help as well!
Anyhow, enough about the past. In the coming year, I’ll seek to campaign about the issues mentioned in this post, and more, as well as bringing Transit96 to the next level.
Thanks for reading, and for 2022,
Hadyn Cutler MYP
Hadyn Cutler MYP 
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