Teenager Hannah Nathanson is campaigning for a better image for young people – and the hoodie.
The A-level student and member of Harrow Youth Parliament says she always wears a hoodie when she meets with MPs and councillors, in an aim to fight the stereotyping of young people.
And now she is planning to set up a pressure group to fight the misrepresentation of young people in the media.
Hannah said: “Some people seem to have formed a view of young people as hooded hooligans wielding knives, dealing drugs and being immersed in gang culture. If the prejudice that occurs toward young people daily in England were to apply to any other demographic, it would be labelled as discrimination and not tolerated.
“The pinnacle of this for me was the August riots, which were blamed heavily on the youth; this was reinforced by respected political figures including many MPs. In fact, the figures showed that only 21% of the rioters were under the age of 18.
“When I meet with MPs and councillors I make an effort to wear a hoodie so that hopefully my small gesture will link them with positive associations and one day the unnecessary fear of young people will be forgotten.”
Hannah, who recently guest edited the council’s community magazine Harrow People, said she was working on the idea of the pressure group with a friend.
The Harrow Youth Parliament is an organisation made up of young people from the local area to represent schools, colleges and other youth groups. It aims to give young people a voice and improve the local community with events such as an Anti-Bullying Coalition.