East London youngsters to have say in future of 2012 Olympic Park

A GROUP of 22 young people from east London will help shape the future of the 2012 Olympic Park, according to the Olympic Park Legacy Company.

FORWARD THINKING: Twenty-two young people from the five host boroughs will have a say in the future of the Olympic Park (Olympic Park Legacy Company)

Twenty-two young people, aged from 13-21, from the five host boroughs have been selected to be part of the Legacy Youth Panel, and will make multiple visits to the Olympic site where they will work with planners and key 2012 figures.

The panel will also make suggestions as to what events should he hosted in the Olympic Park from 2013 onwards, as well as have a say in the long-term planning of the five local boroughs - Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Newham, Hackney and Greenwich.

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell believes the Legacy Youth Panel is evidence that promises made by the London 2012 bid team when they were awarded the Games in Singapore in 2005 are coming to fruition.

"It is so important that when plans for the Olympic Park are being made they are shaped by the next generation," she said.

"Young people taking part in the Legacy Youth Panel have shown that they have a vision for what can be achieved after the Olympics.

"Their ideas will help bring the Park to life while also giving them skills and experience that can put them in good stead when seeking to enter the workplace.

"It shows that our commitment in Singapore to change young people's lives applies off the sporting field as well as on it."

Meanwhile, OPLC chief executive Andrew Altman has urged young people in east London to feel a sense of ownership towards the Olympic Park.

"We want young people to feel a sense of ownership towards the Olympic Park because they will be the generation that will most experience the change to east London over the next 25 years," he said.

"The Legacy Youth Panel is a fantastic opportunity to capture the imagination of young people and galvanize others into getting involved."

Panel member Yuan Chen, a 17-year-old from Greenwich, added: "I am really pleased to be a member of the Legacy Youth Panel which I think will be an amazing opportunity to be part of the Olympics coming to London.

"And I think it help create a lasting legacy that will benefit all the different communities that live on the doorstep of the Olympic Park."