Why ‘Our Bristol, Our World’ is Important to Me – Bethany

Young people at Babbasa are working with the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees and the City Office to produce a brand new youth conference, called ‘Our Bristol, Our World.’ The conference is centred on giving young people a platform to influence Bristol’s One City Plan. – a new document from the government which sets out a vision for Bristol by 2050.

In the run-up to the event, Babbasa’s Youth Ambassadors will be sharing why they are volunteering their time to help give young people a voice. These are Bethany’s thoughts and reflections on ‘Our Bristol, Our World’:

 

I believe that ‘Our Bristol, Our World’ is important because it is a chance for those of the younger generations and older generations to come together to learn from one another and form consensuses on how we can change Bristol for the better in the immediate future as well as in the long run. The four main topics up for discussion within the conference and the manifesto we will present at the event are of major importance to the city in general as well as young people.

For myself as a contributor, the conference will hopefully open more doors and create more connections through meeting industry leaders and business owners that I can then use to get full time work within the city. This will mean networking and speaking to people or, in other words, talking to complete strangers. Though this may be hard for me due to my Asperger’s, I am trying to see the challenges as me being more adventurous and though knowing that I won’t be brilliant at everything I do need to be brave.

There are barriers being faced by young people in Bristol as a result of their identities, and their backgrounds. The barriers being faced in Bristol by disabled young people are too often overlooked as well. I hope that, through the conference, young people with physical and mental health issues are given a voice and can share their experiences. What I know for sure is that those who attend will have the opportunity to attain contact with a mentor who can offer help with educational or employment advice.

I hope that many Bristolians, whatever age, ethnicity, ability or life-stage they are at, can attend the conference and see what young people want to be delivered on the future of our city.

 

Grab Your Ticket

Tickets for Our ‘Bristol, Our World’ are free and can be booked here.

Get Involved!

Want to be a part of the conference?

Get in touch with Zoe at zoe.lynes@byep.org.uk if you are interested in being a volunteer, a sponsor, or a speaker at ‘Our Bristol, Our World’.