Princess Nwafor, Chairman of the Dartford Youth Council, speaks from her home and invites fellow youth councillors up to discuss why you should join us.
Welcome from DYC Chairman
Hi, my name is Princess and I am the current Chair at the Dartford Youth Council and the former Public Relations Officer. I have been a member for nearly three years and as a result I have been able to partake in a number of events such as the Dartford Festival, Stride4Life. I have also been able to be a part of the war memorial service in Ypres, and those are just a few of the opportunities you’ll be able to be a part of when you join.
If you want to play a bigger role in your community, if you want to make some friends, Dartford Youth Council is the council from you. Later on, you’ll hear from Zapran, Sanya, Ricky and Danielle. They’ll be talking about their experiences being in the Dartford Youth Council and why you should join.
Princess Nwafor, Chairman of the Dartford Youth Council
Meet our Members
I joined DYC because I wanted to make a tangible difference within my local community and when I heard about this initiative, I was like “Wow!”, no better time than the present! It was a very good experience when I came to my first meeting – everyone was very lovely and were from quite a wide range of backgrounds, I made friends and connections with new people, that I’d never have encountered if I hadn’t joined.
DYC is ever evolving – the whole organisation, we’re always working towards new initiatives and working alongside different communities and charities such as Refocus to help them get a government grant, and also worked with charities like ellenor, so in terms of making a tangible impact, we can really we what we’re doing and have recently been awarded a Spirit of Try Angle Award.
My highlight with DYC was probably when we went to Ypres – even though it was not a service to the community as such, I think it was very important for us to understand the links that Dartford had with the world wars to be able to best serve the community. People should join DYC because it’s a great way to make new friends, a great thing to put on your personal statement but overall, a fantastic way to make a difference to your community and it’s also a great way for you to network with people and get to know like-minded people who also want to make a difference to community for years to come.
Danielle Okine, PR Officer of the Dartford Youth Council
Hi, I am Zapran, I’m the Secretary of the Dartford Youth Council and have been a member for three years, and was appointed Secretary last September.
This year, DYC has been a bit rocky in terms of activities and attendance inevitably because of coronavirus, however some of my fondest memories have been at Dartford Festival over the last two years, and also the War Memorial in November. That’s all from me, and I look forward to welcoming you this year, thank you!
Zapran Carlsson, Secretary of the Dartford Youth Council
My name is Sanya and I have been a member of DYC for nearly a year now. DYC is an experience I would recommend anyone.
I joined DYC because I tagged along with a couple of friends and I ended up joining every monthly meeting since then. I decided to be a member because it could be a way I could voice out my opinions on certain topics in relation to the youth of the local community. It also enabled me to take part in activities within the community and the borough council. I was also able to meet new people and helped me to raise my confidence even further. Finally, it’s something I can put on my university application as well as things that come to me in the future. So I hope you will consider joining DYC!
Sanya Sunil, Member of the Dartford Youth Council
Hello, my name is Ricky and I’m the Vice Chairman, and former Secretary and Public Relations Officer, with it now being my fifth year on the Dartford Youth Council.
I’ve had so many amazing memories with the friends that I’ve made along my DYC journey, forged lifelong connections with young people across the world who share the same passions as I do, whether it was from our recent trip to Belgium, to our volunteering as part of Dartford Borough Council’s flagship summer extravaganza, the Dartford Festival. The monthly meetings we hold are always a highlight of my year – catching up with friends from across the borough, getting to discuss and make our voices heard on topics such as charity aid and mental health, all in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
Overall, it’s been such a delight to share with you the inspirational work of our youth councillors despite the difficult circumstances that 2020 has imposed on us all. We hope you’ve enjoyed the talks from our members, and should you have any additional queries you can visit our website at dartfordyouthcouncil.com. I look forward to welcoming you and working alongside you in the youth council in the meetings to come. Thank you for watching!
Ricky Taing, Vice Chairman of the Dartford Youth Council
Dartford Youth Council 