Across East Anglia, students from Eastern Education Group are not just learning about leadership, they are living it.
From regional conversations to national stages, students have been supported in driving a growing movement, ensuring young people are in the room, vocal and heard, when decisions are made about them.
Earlier this year, a group of students from West Suffolk College, One Sixth Form College, and Abbeygate Sixth Form College (all part of Eastern Education Group) took part in the National Youth Strategy: Seen & Heard event in Ipswich. The event was a landmark gathering, brought together by the iWill Movement and Department for Culture, Media and Sport, generously hosted by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company.
The event was a powerful reminder of why listening to young people is vital. The students engaged with leaders from a wide range of sectors, built meaningful connections, and contributed to conversations which will help to shape the direction of the National Youth Strategy.
Participation in events like Seen & Heard does not happen in isolation. It reflects the deeper commitment Eastern Education Group have made to embedding youth voice into the way they operate daily.
As proud signatories of the Power of Youth Charter, Eastern Education Group are working towards open decision making, creating leadership opportunities for young people, and shifting the culture of education so that student perspectives and lived experience sit at the heart of every decision, as a driving force.
On Power of Youth Day (2 June 2026), Eastern Education Group stood alongside so many organisations, also turning their pledges into meaningful action. Young people deserve to lead, and be heard, it is the responsibility of organisations such as ours to nurture this.
The youth voice agenda in Suffolk is growing and Eastern Education Group students are helping to push it forward- one conversation, one connection, and one courageous contribution at a time.
