Ref: PR2404
Date: 12/11/2009

Young people from across the district will be getting together for the next Students Speak event to have a say on what’s important to them.

The event, organised and supported by the Wakefield Together partnership, will give secondary school students from across the district an opportunity to work together and look at the issues they feel affect them most.

Students from Wakefield district will be attending the third major meeting of its kind at Wakefield Town Hall on Friday November 20. The theme of the day is skills, enterprise and work.

Cllr Peter Box, chairman of Wakefield Together and leader of Wakefield Council, will be giving an opening speech.

Cllr Box said: “I am passionate about involving young people in how we develop and improve Wakefield district as they represent our future.

“Students Speak events have already proved a massive success and it was at last year’s event that the Impact and Consequences DVD was born – and subsequently highly praised by Prime Minister Gordon Brown during his recent visit to Wakefield when he met students from Airedale who helped produce it.

“I hope we get another excellent turnout and that our young people once again have a voice on what’s important to them and Wakefield Together will listen.”

Local writer and TV presenter Ian Clayton will be leading the workshops and encouraging students to give their honest views and have their say. The event will also include business representatives and entrepreneurs as well as celebrity special guests.

A group of students from Freeston Business and Enterprise College have been planning the event for several months including the format for the day, workshops and a young people survey in order to measure what young people feel is important to them.

The student group will also play active roles on the day, helping to run workshops and give introductory and closing speeches. After the event, the student steering group from the Freeston Business and Enterprise College will be invited to attend the Wakefield Together board to provide feedback.

For more information on Wakefield Together visit www.wakefieldtogether.org.uk - see related links.

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