The West Midlands has one of the youngest and most diverse populations in the country. Almost 21% of people living in the West Midlands are under sixteen, and 40% of Birmingham residents are aged under twenty-five.
Yet the youth and diversity of our communities has not always been represented by our region's leadership.
One of the first acts of the combined authority was to establish the Leadership Commission – an independent body, chaired by journalist Anita Bhalla OBE – to look at how the West Midlands' diversity is reflected in boardrooms and positions of power.
The Commission made a number of recommendations in its Leaders Like You report, one of which was that the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) – where I hold the portfolio for inclusive communities - should establish a Young Combined Authority, to ensure the voices of our young population are being heard, and listened to, at a senior level.
This week marked International Youth Day, and seems a fitting time to reflect on the important step the WMCA has taken in launching the Young Combined Authority (YCA).
It's incredibly exciting to see the interest young people have shown in the YCA - we received more than 125 applications for just 30 seats.
YCA members will hold meetings and have a voice at WMCA Board, our decision-making body. We will enable them to influence policies that will shape the future of the West Midlands, and we want them to tell us if we need to shift our focus and help us see the world through their eyes.
Establishing the YCA will be a chance to further open our democratic processes. We hope that its members will help us engage with young people across the region - our ambition is to ensure that devolution does not stop at the combined authority's office.
The theme of this year's International Youth Day is transforming education, and the WMCA is playing our role in this: boosting apprenticeship opportunities, work placements, and connecting young people to training and employment. My inclusive communities portfolio is a commitment to ensure all young people can access these new opportunities and develop their aspirations.
But we have a lot to learn from our young citizens too.
Birmingham Youth Climate Strike (BYCS) are a great example of this.
Five young people from BYCS made an impassioned speech at the WMCA Board's Annual General Meeting in June this year - and inspired us to declare a Climate Emergency.
They showed it is not enough to just have young people in the room, or ask for their feedback after decisions are made. To be inclusive, we need to give young people a genuine platform to voice their concerns and vision for the future, and commit to genuinely listen and constructively work together. We've done this with Birmingham Youth Climate Strike, who will now help us shape a carbon reduction plan, and will continue to engage with youth organisations wherever we can.
Ultimately, we need to ensure that democracy is something young people can feel empowered to access directly. YCA members over 18 can vote and stand for office in their own right – which is why we'll ask and support YCA members to mentor those who have influence on the WMCA Board.
We want young people to co-design the West Midlands' future democracy with us – we want to empower the next generation of leaders to guide us in building the future for the next generation of citizens.
It's hard not to be excited about that.
Cllr Brigid Jones is deputy leader of Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio holder for inclusive communities
