Mete Coban MBE

2020 | New Year Honours

Mete Coban MBE. For services to Young People

Mete Coban received international recognition for his work in transforming youth engagement and making democracy more accessible to young people from underrepresented communities. In 2013, he founded My Life My Say (MLMS) which makes democracy accessible for young people across the UK and Europe. He makes sure more than 80% of the charity’s activities take place outside of London in the most hard-to-reach communities. An estimated 41,000 young people from across the UK and Europe have benefited from MLMS’ services. He started the charity because young people in his area felt that they had no voice when the decision came to close their local youth club. As the Chair of the leadership Council for the Global Fund for Children, he has secured funding for young men with mental health issues in the UK. He is also a trustee for the South London Refugee Association and has played a key role in ensuring that young refugees, asylum seekers and migrants have a dedicated support network. He was the youngest ever elected Councillor in the London Borough of Hackney at the age of 21. He was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List 2020.