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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Paris Brown 'too young' to advise? Of course not | Paris Brown 'too young' to advise? Of course not |
| (4 months later) | |
| Paris Brown, chosen as Britain's first youth police crime commissioner, resigned after just seven days having been branded a "vile" and "foul-mouthed crime tsar" by the Daily Mail. | Paris Brown, chosen as Britain's first youth police crime commissioner, resigned after just seven days having been branded a "vile" and "foul-mouthed crime tsar" by the Daily Mail. |
| MP Keith Vaz said he was "deeply shocked" by her controversial tweets – all written between the ages of 14 and 16 – and a Guardian poll, at the time of writing, shows that 62% of readers think she is right to quit. | MP Keith Vaz said he was "deeply shocked" by her controversial tweets – all written between the ages of 14 and 16 – and a Guardian poll, at the time of writing, shows that 62% of readers think she is right to quit. |
| Paris was thrust into power, on to a £15,000-a-year salary, and under a harsh media spotlight, at the age of 17. The lesson of "the debacle", declares Telegraph blogger Jake Wallis Simons, is that teenagers should not be advising the police. | Paris was thrust into power, on to a £15,000-a-year salary, and under a harsh media spotlight, at the age of 17. The lesson of "the debacle", declares Telegraph blogger Jake Wallis Simons, is that teenagers should not be advising the police. |
| But should her misfortune stop other young people playing influential roles in society? | But should her misfortune stop other young people playing influential roles in society? |
| William Dyer, 18, got involved with the Liberal Democrats shortly after the 2010 general election. He was elected policy officer at 17, a role which has seen him work with David Laws, Paddy Ashdown, Simon Hughes and a number of senior Lib Dems. He has helped create policy, and has recently been instrumental in convincing Nick Clegg to do a webinar about his controversial stance on immigration. | William Dyer, 18, got involved with the Liberal Democrats shortly after the 2010 general election. He was elected policy officer at 17, a role which has seen him work with David Laws, Paddy Ashdown, Simon Hughes and a number of senior Lib Dems. He has helped create policy, and has recently been instrumental in convincing Nick Clegg to do a webinar about his controversial stance on immigration. |
| "Young people should have the chance to be put in these positions," he says. "I do feel it's unfortunate that Paris resigned, but that's the nature of social media." | "Young people should have the chance to be put in these positions," he says. "I do feel it's unfortunate that Paris resigned, but that's the nature of social media." |
| Dyer adds: "I think the stereotype that all young people do is go out every night and get drunk is wholly overstated; there is a lot of good work being done." | Dyer adds: "I think the stereotype that all young people do is go out every night and get drunk is wholly overstated; there is a lot of good work being done." |
| Glenn Gridley, 19, has volunteered since year 8. He's raised funds for Cancer Research, sat on Havering Youth Council and, at 17, co-founded the Charity Buddies, an organisation seeking to provide volunteering opportunities for 16- to 30-yearolds. | Glenn Gridley, 19, has volunteered since year 8. He's raised funds for Cancer Research, sat on Havering Youth Council and, at 17, co-founded the Charity Buddies, an organisation seeking to provide volunteering opportunities for 16- to 30-yearolds. |
| "Young people should be put in high-up positions," he says. "I know that all manner of councils, organisations and charities have recruited young leaders. It offers a great experience for them and it's definitely needed. But, at the same time, it's a learning curve and you can't expect everything to go perfectly." | "Young people should be put in high-up positions," he says. "I know that all manner of councils, organisations and charities have recruited young leaders. It offers a great experience for them and it's definitely needed. But, at the same time, it's a learning curve and you can't expect everything to go perfectly." |
| Team v is a volunteering organisation that gives important roles to young people. A hundred 18- to 25-year-olds, including Dyer and Gridley, have taken the opportunity to run campaigns across the country, with control over planning, budgets and recruiting volunteers. | Team v is a volunteering organisation that gives important roles to young people. A hundred 18- to 25-year-olds, including Dyer and Gridley, have taken the opportunity to run campaigns across the country, with control over planning, budgets and recruiting volunteers. |
| The current campaign has leaders renovating unloved community spaces while previous ones have seen them addressing youth homelessness, creating food banks and getting people to think about mental health. | The current campaign has leaders renovating unloved community spaces while previous ones have seen them addressing youth homelessness, creating food banks and getting people to think about mental health. |
| So what's next for Gridley and Dyer? Gridley will be studying event and festival planning at Bucks New University while his organisation is set to receive full charity status. Dyer, grades dependent, will be studying history and politics at Oxford and volunteering with XLP, a youth charity, next year. | So what's next for Gridley and Dyer? Gridley will be studying event and festival planning at Bucks New University while his organisation is set to receive full charity status. Dyer, grades dependent, will be studying history and politics at Oxford and volunteering with XLP, a youth charity, next year. |
| Young people can, and should, be given the opportunity to hold roles and given power to achieve things. "These guys will be the future adults," says Dyer, "so why shouldn't they shape the society that they're in?" | Young people can, and should, be given the opportunity to hold roles and given power to achieve things. "These guys will be the future adults," says Dyer, "so why shouldn't they shape the society that they're in?" |
| • This article was amended on 12.04.13 to correct the names of David Laws and Glenn Gridley | • This article was amended on 12.04.13 to correct the names of David Laws and Glenn Gridley |
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