Kiyaro: “It feels very exciting that I am now simply the childrens mayor! There are a few things I would like to do. But I especially want to work on discrimination, because it still exists. I want to show that everyone has equal rights.”

Looking for

As the term of the current childrens council expired, Amsterdam has been looking for new members in recent months. Amsterdam students from groups 7 or 8 could sign up. The new childrens council members who wanted to become childrens mayor had to give a presentation to a jury. This consisted of childrens ombudsman Annemarie Tuzgöl-Broekhoven, Pascal Tan from the program Het Klokhuis, and childrens mayor Rüya. The jury nominated 5 candidates. The childrens council members chose the new childrens mayor among themselves.

Role of the childrens council

The childrens council informs the college of the mayor and aldermen about what children find important and what their wishes are for the city. Over the past year, the childrens council advised on young caregivers, poverty, and the Year of the Pedestrian. The childrens mayor accompanies the mayor or an alderman to special events and sometimes gives a short speech. The childrens mayor and childrens council were present at various ceremonies, such as the Festival on the Ring, the National Commemoration at the Dam, the Childrens Commemoration of Slavery Past, and Keti Koti.

The childrens council consists of 16 childrens council members from all 7 districts and the Weesp area, and meets 15 times per school year.

Proud of the childrens council

Marjolein Moorman: “It is important for children to learn about what is happening in society from a young age. Conversely, we adults can learn a lot from the perspective of children. I am therefore proud that we have a childrens council in Amsterdam and look forward to the advice from the new council!”