While most 10-year-olds spend their summer thinking about football, holidays, or adventures with friends, Bahrawar has been busy campaigning to become the next Leeds Children’s Mayor. He wants to make sure no child feels they have to struggle alone.
Bahrawar, a Year 5 student, is now one of 12 finalists in the 2026/27 Leeds Children’s Mayor elections. Judges were impressed by his manifesto, which focuses on improving children’s mental health and wellbeing.
Many children his age are still exploring the world, but Bahrawar is already thinking about how he can help improve it.
Bahrawar’s determination comes from the values he has seen throughout his life.
He grew up watching his grandfather, Haji Riaz Ahmad, spend decades serving the community. His parents and siblings have also followed this tradition, helping others whenever they can.
In his family, helping others was always seen as normal, not something special.
This everyday kindness has shaped how Bahrawar sees the world and those around him.
Bahrawar’s practical plans to improve support for young people have earned him a place among the city’s final 12 candidates, with a vision built on one simple belief: every child deserves to be heard.
A campaign inspired by compassion
Bahrawar enjoys rugby, boxing, and adventure like many boys his age. But he also pays close attention to classmates who might be having a hard time. He notices when someone is quieter than usual, when a friend seems different, or when children are carrying worries that others might not see.
His empathy and determination to help others led him to look into the Leeds Children’s Mayor competition on his own.
When he learned that applicants needed to write a manifesto about improving life for young people in the city, he wrote his and gave it to his headteacher to submit.
In the weeks that followed, his ideas were reviewed along with entries from 40 other schools in Leeds. Panels from Leeds City Council and the Leeds Youth Council judged the entries, and he received exciting news: he was shortlisted as one of the final 12 candidates.
Putting children’s mental health first
Instead of focusing on playgrounds or entertainment, Bahrawar decided to address what he sees as one of the biggest challenges for young people today.
His manifesto focuses on mental health and wellbeing. He says many children struggle in silence, not because help is unavailable, but because they do not know where to find it, how to ask for help, or even when they need it.
Rather than just pointing out the problem, he has suggested practical ideas that he believes could really help.
One idea is to create a website that lists all the mental health services available to children in Leeds. This would make it easier for young people and their families to see what support is out there and where to go for help.
He also suggests having trained wellbeing ambassadors in schools. These pupils would check in on classmates, encourage conversations about mental health, and help spot children who might be struggling.
He also proposes a city-wide “Your Mind Matters Day.” This would give pupils a break from school pressures and let them join activities like sport, music, and art, all while focusing on their emotional wellbeing.
A young voice with a big vision
For Bahrawar, becoming Leeds Children’s Mayor is about helping make Leeds a place where children feel safe to ask for help, confident to speak openly, and supported enough to enjoy being kids.
Making it to the final 12 is already a big achievement, but those close to Bahrawar think this is just the start. Whether he wins or not, his campaign has shown that leadership is about compassion, courage, and standing up for others, not age.
At only ten years old, Bahrawar has shown both adults and children that big ideas can come from young voices. For him, this campaign is not the end, but the first step toward a lifetime of serving the community that has always inspired him.
