Students from Abbeygate Sixth Form College and West Suffolk College recently played a key role in leading the Youth Matters: Seen and Heard event held on 10th March at Thetford Academy, bringing together young people, local leaders and national representatives to discuss how youth voices can help shape the future of their communities.
The event, held at Thetford Academy and organised by the #iWill Movement and the Deputy Mayor of Thetford in partnership with and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, explored themes from the National Youth Strategy under the banner “Youth Matters: Seen and Heard.”
EEG students played a central role in the success of the event, helping to lead and facilitate sessions throughout the day. Students supported the delivery of activities from the front of the room, developing their public speaking skills while helping guide discussions and encourage participation.
They also acted as table facilitators during hackathon-style activities, supporting groups as they developed ideas and solutions before presenting their final pitches. The ideas generated during the discussions were captured so that the voices and perspectives of young people can be shared with event organisers and policymakers.
Throughout the event, EEG students demonstrated strong leadership, communication and teamwork skills, acting as positive role models for other young people and helping to create a welcoming environment where participants felt confident to share their views.
The event concluded with a Q&A session with representatives from DCMS and youth ambassadors, giving participants the opportunity to ask questions and further explore how national commitments to young people can be translated into meaningful local action.
Events such as this highlight the importance of ensuring that young people are not only heard but actively involved in shaping decisions that affect their communities.
