Justin Tomlinson MP with Saaria and Aneela Ahmed
Justin Tomlinson MP today met with Swindon teenagers Aneela and Saaria Ahmed to discuss how he can help promote a film they have made.
Aneela and Saaria sit on an advisory group of young people from Young NCB, the National Children’s Bureau’s young people’s network. With the help of the BBC, they have made a short film that highlights how young people are often misrepresented by the media and challenges the watcher to examine their perceptions of the young.
The sisters felt compelled to get involved in making the video after the negative portrayal of young people in the media intensified following the summer riots.
14 year old Aneela said: ‘We want people around us to stop and think before they make judgements. There are lots of young people who are keen to get involved and make a positive contribution.’
Her 16 year old sister, Saaria, added: ‘Teenagers who wear hoodies are stereotyped a lot and most people judge teenagers on how they dress when actually each teenager has their own personality and how they dress doesn’t reflect how they act.’
Justin Tomlinson MP said “I am really impressed by the video that Saaria and Aneela have made and by their determination to do something about the negative portrayal of their peers. This is a fantastic example of the passion and commitment that is at the root of the Big Society and I will be writing to the Prime Minister to draw his attention to the video and the girls’ hard work.”
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