Over 700 secondary school students from across the county were welcomed to the Canterbury campus from October 3rd to the 5th for the first ever Kent Youth Summit.
Supported by funding from Kent County Council’s (KCC) Reconnect programme, the Summit was designed to inspire young people and give them a voice and platform to express their hopes and ideas for the future.
Throughout the event students were encouraged to contribute their ‘ideas for a better world’. The University will be compiling these thoughts for a better future – for the students and the region – and sharing them with policy makers and other key stakeholders including MPs, council leaders and headteachers. The Kent Youth Parliament were also on hand, helping students to see how they can use their voice to bring about social change through meaningful campaigning.
Stephanie Young, teacher at Hartsdown Academy said: ‘We wanted them to show them (our students) that there’s more that they can do if they chose to do so. The stalls around are showing them that their voices are going to be heard.’
The event was also designed to help re-engage and reconnect students after the pandemic, helping to focus on their wellbeing and future as well as giving them a chance to experience something different.
Tim Self, a teacher at St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School said: ‘It’s a chance for our students to experience something different. This gives an insight into the world after school, which I think is important.’
The days kicked off with a range of sessions including interactive workshops, sport activities and team challenges. After a morning of creativity and sharing, the students joined the lunchtime festivities and were treated to an array of goodies such as a Barbecue, candy floss, pop corn and more fun-filled activities, including a performance from The Kent Salsa Society and a DJ.
GymJam delighted the students at Tuesday’s plenary with a mini multiple-choice film “Anthropocene”. The fate of the actors was in their hands. How could they be agents of change? At the end of each scene, students had to vote for the next direction they wanted the film to take.
Wednesday’s plenary was led by KMTV with “Generation Genome”- an original series of documentaries and studio-based discussions, designed to engage young people in cutting edge science, placing them at the centre of a debate about genetics and the impact it will have on their future. Students were able to voice their opinions, raise their questions and take part in the debate.
Philip Pothen, Director of Engagement at Kent said: ‘The Youth Summit represented a significant commitment to our county’s schoolchildren and young people. As a university with a similar commitment to the learning, progression and skills of everyone in our region, we are excited and proud to have supported this initiative. We look forward to building on the success of this year’s event and helping our young people to continue to be inspired, ambitious and heard.’