Students at Northampton College have been urged to aim high, speak up and set themselves up for success during a series of motivational workshops aimed at exploring ‘the game of life’.
The day-long sessions, delivered by national group Loud Speaker, were designed to equip students with the self-belief needed to back themselves when setting career aspirations and goals in their personal lives.
The workshops centred on topics including resilience, confidence, raising aspirations, emotional intelligence, and personal storytelling, with students given a framework to better understand their own story and the skills needed to shout it from the rooftops.
Pat Brennan-Barrett, principal of Northampton College, said: “We are big believers in putting our students at the heart of everything we do. Research has shown that young people may be feeling more anxious about finding opportunities in this post-COVID world. Our aim is to help students develop confidence, self-esteem, and resilience so they are comfortable with their career choices and stand head and shoulders above other applicants in the future jobs market.
“Having the chance to welcome the Loud Speaker team to our Booth Lane and Daventry campuses has been a great opportunity for students to think more about their personal story and gain the confidence to aim high and make the most of every opportunity that comes their way.”
The sessions come at a crucial point in students’ lives, when they are setting their aspirations and shaping their career paths.
Daisy Greenwood from Loud Speaker said: “Speaking is easy when we’re chatting away to our best friend in Maccies, but put us on a stage, in an interview or on a first date – and words become hard. Public speaking ranks on many surveys as people’s number one fear.
“For the young people that we interact with, the future is a beautiful mystery. The only thing that’s certain is that they will have to source opportunities and convince people to take a shot on them.
“We travel up and down the country talking to young people and helping them to ultimately win at life. In sessions like our Game of Life workshop we teach them important skills such as resilience and public speaking that they need to go out into the world and succeed. This is the age where young people start to think about their futures so we want to give them that solid platform to be able to build up and go out with confidence and smash all their goals.”
Level 2 Travel and tourism student Stela Guzikova whose aim is to make it as a member of cabin crew for a leading airline, said: “It was good to learn about communication and talking in front of a new audience. It will really help us overcome our fears and be comfortable talking to people you’ve never met before.”
