Children's Mayor
The voice of the youth in Geldrop-Mierlo!
The children's mayor represents all children in our municipality and thinks along about what is important for young inhabitants. Together with the mayor and aldermen, he or she may attend special events and work on their own projects to make Geldrop-Mierlo even more child-friendly. A unique opportunity to really make a difference!
Want to invite the children's mayor to something or have questions? Please contact us at kinderburgemeester@geldrop-mierlo.nl.
Irene Roy is the new children's mayor of Geldrop-Mierlo
As of school year 2025-2026, Irene Roy is the new children's mayor of Geldrop-Mierlo! On July 2, Alderman Mathil Sanders surprised Irene and her class at St. Jozef Elementary School with this wonderful news. Irene will be officially installed on Monday, September 15, during a council meeting. After that she will go on the road together with the mayor and aldermen and work on a self-chosen project aimed at increasing understanding between children of different cultures.
Want to know more about this? Then read the full news release.
Looking back: this is what the recruitment process looked like
In the spring of 2025, children from grade 6 could apply for the role of children's mayor. The application period ran from March 31 to May 25, 2025. This was followed by a selection process:
- On May 26, a jury made an initial selection from all the entries.
The jury consisted of:- Mayor and Alderman Youth
- The Youth Council
- Representation from the City Council
- Youth & Education Policy Advisor
- On June 20, the Alderman Youth and a municipal employee spoke with the most suitable candidates.
- The final choice was Irene Roy, who will be officially installed as children's mayor on Sept. 15, 2025.
Children's mayor Stan van Steenbergen in action
Stan van Steenbergen new children's mayor of Geldrop-Mierlo
During the council meeting on September 16, 2024, Stan van Steenbergen was officially installed as the second children's mayor of Geldrop-Mierlo. During the school year, ten-year-old Stan will go out as children's mayor with the mayor and aldermen to represent the voice of youth. He will also work on a self-chosen project aimed at combating bullying.
Stan lives in Geldrop and is in grade 7 at Beneden Beekloop elementary school. In his spare time he plays field hockey, likes to play soccer with friends and likes gaming. As children's mayor Stan wants to work against bullying and discrimination. He wants to draw attention to these important issues and hopes to make a difference. Alderman Sanders speaks with enthusiasm about the appointment: "Stan, our second children's mayor, gets a great opportunity to grow personally and carry out his important project with passion. I am sure that, through his input, Geldrop-Mierlo will also become an even more child-friendly municipality in the coming year."
Stan takes over the role and chain from the first children's mayor, Annalot van Neerven. Alderman Sanders looks back on the past school year with satisfaction, "Our municipality has had a fantastic children's mayor this past year. Annalot has shown that children can play an important role in ceremonial tasks. This shows that there is a lot happening in the municipality that is of interest to children. Annalot's own project, a very successful car-free play afternoon that will now have a permanent place on our agenda, shows that children have good ideas, deserve a say and are an integral part of our local democracy. I look forward to the coming year!"
Want to invite the children's mayor to something or have questions? Please contact us at kinderburgemeester@geldrop-mierlo.nl.