Burgess Hill Girls student elected to UK Youth Parliament

Campaigning under the slogan ‘Dobbo does the Jobbo,’ Burgess Hill Girls student Grace Dobson has been elected to represent Mid Sussex and Horsham at the UK Youth Parliament. 

UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) members are young people aged 11 to 18, elected to represent the views of young people in West Sussex. They also represent these views nationally attending an annual debate in the House of Commons in London. Grace Dobson, a Year 12 student at Burgess Hill Girls Sixth Form, decided to run for the UKYP after hearing about it from Dionne Flatman, Head of Economics, Politics and Business at Burgess Hill Girls.

“I enjoy putting myself in positions of leadership and am passionate about promoting equality, the environment, and health and wellbeing so it seemed like an opportunity I could not miss.”

Grace credited her election success to her manifesto video created with the help of her friends at Burgess Hill Girls. Shared via her campaign Instagram account @dobbo4parliament, the video explains how Youth Parliament works as well as outlining Grace’s main campaign promise, to promote the use of green areas to aid mental wellbeing.

Burgess Hill Girls Head Lars Fox is delighted to see Grace playing such an active role in the community: “Grace is the 2023 recipient of our BOLD Award, a full scholarship for a student who we believe has the potential to make a significant impact on the world around them both now and in the future. This is just one of the many signs that Grace is following this path at pace!”