Young people across Medway’s schools joined forces with community organisations and key decision makers at the Medway Youth Council young people’s conference.

The annual conference – which is designed, organised and delivered by the members of the Medway Youth Council – was held at the Rochester Corn Exchange on Tuesday, 10 March.

This year’s theme – DigiCon – was chosen to discuss the impact of digital technology on young people, and almost 90 young people representing 17 schools, colleges and groups in Medway joined four panellists and 11 local partner services and organisations for the day.

Over the past few years, Medway Youth Council members have heard from young people across Medway about the increasing development of digital technology. This is something that affects everyone, but the youth council wanted to investigate the specific impacts it may be having on young people, who are often on the frontier of these technologies.

DigiCon was coined from wanting to speak with young people about their digital lives and the impact of artificial intelligence, social media and screens.

The event saw workshops, youth led discussions, interactive activities, a marketplace of local services and organisations as well as a Q&A panel – all of which aimed to empower young people to champion change in their communities.

The workshops asked young people about their use of AI and how they would like it to benefit their lives, how they use social media and what they think about a potential ban for under 16’s, and how they protect themselves and remain digitally resilient to the increasing use of screens and technology.

Students on the day said that the event “helped amplify young people’s voices” and that they were “proud of the pupils that had the confidence to speak out.” Teachers commented that “the young people that led the sessions were exemplary” and marketplace partners observed that it was “an amazing event, really representing the voice of young people. It’s lovely to see the growth of young people and also that they can support others.”

Have their voices heard

Olivia Sales, Chair of the Medway Youth Council, said: “Conference is an excellent opportunity for any and all young people across Medway to have their voices heard about their future and current life Medway! It’s such a wonderful experience to see so many young people be able to see their influence be heard and acted upon.”

A fantastic organisation

Cllr Adam Price, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: “Making sure the voice of Medway’s children and young people is heard loud and clear is incredibly important. The Medway Youth Council is a fantastic organisation which is full of incredibly passionate young people who share the same ambition as us – to ensure all children in Medway get the best start to life possible. It was great to see so many people engaged with this year’s annual conference, and if you or your children are interested in finding out more about the Medway Youth Council, I would encourage you to take a look and see how you can get involved.”

Medway Youth Council is a youth-led organisation which represents voices of young people in Medway. Throughout the year it campaigns, holds consultations and attends events in the community to engage directly with young people. Its members seek to encourage and inspire young people to use their voice to engage and participate in the decisions that impact them.

Find out more about the Medway Youth Council.