Durham University Young Persons’ Project

Twenty three Year 10 Students have been working with volunteers from Van Mildert College, Durham University as part of the Young Persons’ Project which the University runs.

Sessions started at the beginning of February and took place on six consecutive Wednesdays at Joseph Swan Academy. These sessions focused on resilience, teamwork, confidence and trust, while also allowing the students an insight into Further Education.

After six successful in-school sessions, the students were then invited to take part in a four-day residential at Van Mildert College, this ran from Thursday 23rd to Sunday 26th March and was a huge success!

The students stayed in the College’s accommodation for three nights, giving them a real student experience, one which they all thoroughly enjoyed. They were kept busy with a number of activities, all led and organised by the volunteers from the University, including a Dragon’s Den challenge – where they needed to come up with a product, a business plan, and pitch the idea to a team of ‘Dragons’ hoping for investment. There was also a Murder Mystery afternoon, a trip to Beamish Wild, a careers talk and the highlight of the weekend for the students, a formal dinner and silent disco where music is played through wireless headphones.

All in attendance agreed that the whole experience was unforgettable and the students all grew in confidence throughout the weekend, something which was noted by the volunteers when the students received their personal certificates on the Sunday afternoon during the closing speeches. YPP has been a fantastic experience in 2017 and we look forward to 2018 with great anticipation.