On the 24th November 2015, Urban Synergy hosted a Role Model Seminar at Christ the King Sixth Form College in Lewisham. It was a tremendous event, with an impressive panel, backed by a great group of speed mentors representing a diverse range of industries including medicine, corporate law, media, fashion, central government and entertainment.
The seminar was attended by 100 students drawn from the three Christ the King campuses in Brockley, Lewisham and Sidcup. It was an inspirational evening and a fitting tribute to the memory of the late Peter Fagan, a popular teacher and mentor at Christ the King. Having seen first hand the work of Urban Synergy at his school, his family setup a memory fund in support of their continuing efforts to raise the aspirations of the youth of Lewisham.
The impressive panel consisted of Dr Charlie Easmon, Director of Your Excellent Health, Adrian Grant, Producer of Thriller LIve, Jennifer Morris, Senior Legal Counsel, Thomson Reuters, Marc Hare, Shoe Designer and Director of Mr Hare, Olivia Jensen, Assistant the Communication Director at the Cabinet Office, and Michael Prest, Founder of Petrodel Resources.
The seminar was hosted by Sue Watson, Management Consultant and Michael Lee an Analyst at Barclays and an alumni of Christ the King.
UPDATE: Christ the King also posted this report on their website.
As with all of the seminars, panelists shared their three ‘Top Tips’ with the students:
[quote style=”default” cite=”Michael Prest” url=”” class=””]
“Don’t be scared to try”
“See no limitations go as far as you are prepared to go”
“To understand success you must understand failure”[/quote] [quote style=”default” cite=”Charlie Easmon” url=”” class=””]“What you learn outside school is just as important as what you learn in school.”
“Read different newspapers, learn widely, learn from each other”
“Try to learn another language to engage with other people and cultures”[/quote]
[quote style=”default” cite=”Jennifer Morris” url=”” class=””]“You’ll never know what it’s like studying something like law until you try it”
“If there is an inkling that there is you like 1. do your research 2. do work experience 3. browse (it on) the internet”
“Be determined in the path of failure, learn from it”[/quote]
[quote style=”default” cite=”Marc Hare” url=”” class=””]“Am I filling this space, or am I killing his space”
“Every ten years you’ll look back and your idea of success will change”
“Never ever give up, always look forward. My worst point was my best point. I had nothing to lose, just keep going”[/quote]
[quote style=”default” cite=”Olivia Jensen” url=”” class=””]“Whatever you do always try and give 100% you never know who is watching”
“Be someone who is enthusiastic and energetic”
“When you show interest in people, something interesting will come back”[/quote]
[quote style=”default” cite=”Adrian Grant” url=”” class=””]“You have to have a plan, you have to have a vision, you have to work hard”
“Don’t take no for an answer”
“…hard work, do your research, get a mentor”[/quote]
Feedback from student attendees
‘I learned that you should not let people put you down and aim to succeed in whatever you’re doing. I will make sure I try my hardest to succeed at whatever I’m doing. I enjoyed meeting Marc Hare because he was brought up just like me and he is also a successful designer.’ – Ramayne – 15yrs old Bonus Pastor School
‘I enjoyed how I met people from a wide variety of different professions and not just the stereotypical jobs. It gave me a better perspective of what I want to do.’ – Kathe – Christ the King
‘I learned that I should not give up and I should not be scared of failure.’ – Deborah – Christ the King
Actions that I will take – ‘I will not let any failures hold me back. I’ll remain motivated, be organised and will try my best.’ – Hanna – Christ the King (Aquinas)
Actions that I will take – ‘I will be more positive and do everything with 100% effort, because you never know who is watching.’ – Joy – Christ the King
I enjoyed talking to the role models, they inspired me a lot by talking about themselves and they inspired me to do what I can to never turn down any opportunity as it might lead me closer to my dream. – Jessica – Christ the King
‘I learned that even though you may fail many times you should never give up, also that you should take onboard criticisms and use them to make you a better person.’ – Damilola – Christ the King (Aquinas)
[quote style=”default” cite=”Helen Odhams, Assistant Principal for Quality & Partnerships” url=”” class=””] “Providing our students with the opportunities to engage with diverse role models with whom they can relate to, is essential in helping them to raise their aspirations and broaden their horizons in terms of their careers as well as their own character development. The role model seminar run by Urban Synergy was genuinely successful in helping us provide these sorts of opportunities for students. The diverse panel challenged students on their perceptions of how to be successful as well as give them ‘top tips’ on how to do so. They also really benefited from the more personal speed mentoring session where they were able to question the mentors more specifically about different careers as well as the personal qualities needed. It was a fantastic event and thank you to all at Urban Synergy and the Mentors for their support”.[/quote]
[quote style=”default” cite=”Leila Thomas, CEO of Urban Synergy” url=”” class=””] “The aim of the seminar is to provide young people with an opportunity to meet accessible role models, hear their personal success stories, tips for success, and to gain an insight into their professions to inspire them to reach for success. Once again, we are really happy with the amazing feedback from the college and the dedication of the role models. Our work offers student ‘real time’ help and direction and can be a light bulb moment when it comes to making informed decisions about their career aspirations.”[/quote]
