PROJECTS > IMPACT AREAS > WELLBEING REGION > MAY 2022 SECTOR FORUM

Wellbeing Region Sector Forum May 2022

Towards a Wellbeing Economy Sector Forum

Catch up with the meeting notes here.

4theRegion members met with businesses and organisations across South West Wales to explore the range of ways that young people are being supported to create flourishing futures for themselves here in South West Wales.

Younger generations are our future, so how can we equip young people across South West Wales with the skills and mindset to THRIVE?

You can catch up on the wide ranging discussion about young people, skills and opportunities in our region by watching the event recording or reading the full event report.

EVENT RECORDING

Catch up on the full event recording and listen to presentations from regional organisations who are doing great work to ensure that young people in our region can thrive. Click the video at the timestamps listed below to jump to their appropriate segment.

0:15:00: The HOW People
0:30:00: 2B Enterprising
0:41:00: Technocamps
0:58:00 Open Discussion and Sharing

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Thematic Priorities

Education

There should be an emphasis on education surrounding screens, internet usage and the type of content accessed.
There’s a huge focus on exams and not what’s beyond, including opportunities for volunteering and other skills outside of the classroom.
Engage with children from a primary school age to get them to consider future opportunities in order to empower them and be innovative.
Acknowledge the hospitality sector as an important way to build confidence, emotional intelligence, and communication skills.

Support

Anxiety surrounding life and world events need to be sensitively addressed.
We should consider the pressure of the question of “What do you want to do when you grow up?” and perhaps reframe it to be “What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up?”
Be aware of the inequality of access to opportunities, depending on whether or not parents or other supporting figures can make introductions.
We need to make sure that young people have opportunities and links, whether they want to pursue university or not.

Skills

Amplify the great work going on between organisations and educational institutions that support young people to grow their skills.
Encourage collaboration between organisations and educational to get young people thinking.
Break down misconceptions and remove gender bias towards digital skills, STEM subjects and emerging technologies.
Maybe we should drop any reference to “careers” and talk more about people being happy, and having a flourishing future.
Volunteering experiences are important even from a young age. It would be great to encourage businesses to do this more often.
Schools need to increase the value of what industries and employers can and do offer and to work closer with other sectors and provide training.

Communication

We need to diversify the way we communicate to young people. It can be like trying to hit a moving target with how rapidly things change.
It’s difficult to keep up with developments and the best ways to deliver key messages.
Some organisations including Bouygues expressed that they find older primary school pupils are most engaging and interested in their work.
Organisations such as Vocaleyes Democracy CIC have demonstrated platforms where pupils can come up with ideas on ways to improve the school, teaching children how democracy works.

NEXT STEPS

As a founding member of the Wellbeing Economy Wales, 4theRegion helps to host the monthly Wellbeing Economy Discussion Forum on the second Thursday of each month. Follow Wellbeing Economy Wales on Eventbrite to stay updated with upcoming events surrounding the wellbeing economy.

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Please do get in touch with 4theRegion to tell us about your work in empowering future generations in South West Wales, or to share challenges and ideas about what more is needed.