On Tuesday 3 February, I attended the Committee for Education Stakeholder Event on the ongoing curriculum review. There were presentations by the Department for Education, Queen’s University Belfast and a local school on various aspects of the curriculum in Northern Ireland including history, science, Learning for Life and Work (LLW), and sustainable development.
At the event, I took part as a representative of the Youth Assembly. My role involved sharing my views during the round table event on a variety of topics relating to education in Northern Ireland. I spoke with Committee member Michelle Guy MLA and Dr Karen Kerr from QUB, who were of great help during the discussion, asking thought provoking questions and providing insightful opinions.
We discussed several important points, including Special Educational Needs the teaching of LLW in schools, and opportunities for guidance on subject and careers choices within school. This event allowed me to provide feedback to those in the Education Committee, while also hearing the perspectives of people from several different areas of the school curriculum.
These events are important for young people as they give the youth of Northern Ireland a voice in key issues. This one was of particular importance as it allowed myself and other young people to give our opinions and feedback on our education system, which affects us potentially more than any other area in our life. This event provided me with plenty of fascinating new information which I will seek to apply to my future work in the Youth Assembly. It also helped me to build my confidence in sharing my views with people in positions of power.
A standout moment of the event for me would be the wide variety of methods used in the addresses of those speaking. From meticulously prepared PowerPoints to charming off-the-cuff speeches and moving anecdotes (coupled with the odd bit of witty humour), all those who spoke were impactful and made the day thoroughly enjoyable and informative.
Before the event, I felt rather nervous at the prospect of giving my views to those in power, but the welcoming environment of the event, along with the excellent support of the Youth Assembly staff helped me settle in quickly and give it my all. After attending this event, I am eager to have more opportunities to attend events like these and give my views to decision makers. I am immensely grateful to have had this opportunity to represent the Youth Assembly and hope to have many more to come.
