We attended the Swale Youth Conference which was held in Sittingbourne and sponsored by #iwill, which is a campaign that promotes social action among young adults. We heard from a panel of young people and partook in both practical and discussion-based activities throughout the day. The event started with a speech from Patrick Cantellow, the CEO of Swale Young People, who introduced the event and explained what Swale Young People does. We then spoke to a panel of young people from across Swale, including two Young Ambassadors who spoke about their role in the organisation. Two girls raised an important issue that affects young people today – the idea of a perfect body and a lack of good role models and representation of minorities in the media.
Ashleigh Porter-Exley who won the BBC Young Apprentice in 2012 gave an inspiring speech about how she took her future into her own hands as a teenager and decided to do an apprenticeship. After she had won Young Apprentice, instead of taking the many job offers she was being offered in London, she went back to her hometown in the north and worked on setting up Youth Councils and supporting young people in her local area.
We took part in a workshop run by a company called 2-3 Degrees. There were physical activities, tips on how to be more confident when speaking in public and games to help us communicate better.
The event was a great opportunity to network with other young people and adults in Kent and share information about our work.
