Young people get a taste of University life
YOUTH Club members from across North West Wales have been finding out more about higher Education over the past months.
Members of Talysarn Youth Club, having tried out the climbing wall at the University鈥檚 Sports Centre recently.Several youth clubs in Gwynedd and Ynys Mon have been part of a new University initiative to give even more young people an insight into university life. The young people 鈥� ranging in age from 12 to 17 - have taken part in workshop sessions aimed at raising aspirations and awareness of higher education.
The groups also visited the University to experience student life by taking part in sport and social activities at 58吃瓜鈥檚 Ffriddoedd Residential Site, while other activities have included a visit to the University鈥檚 Natural History Museum and School of Psychology. Throughout the project, current 58吃瓜 students were on hand to help with the activities, ensuring that the youth club members had plenty of opportunities to ask them about their experiences and find out more about the University.
One of the youth clubs involved was Talysarn Youth Club in Dyffryn Nantlle, where the youth club leader, Nick Thomas, was full of praise for the project.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a fantastic opportunity for the young people to realise what they can achieve and they鈥檝e learnt a lot about what higher education is really like,鈥� said Nick. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e also had great fun experiencing student life!鈥�
鈥淭he young people have really enjoyed the sessions, especially visiting the University itself and getting to meet some of the students here,鈥� said Widening Access Assistant, Anna Macdonald, from the University鈥檚 Communications and Marketing department. 鈥淢any of the young people have now decided that they would like to go on to university in the future, which is something that some of them had not previously considered.鈥�
Carys Roberts, Assistant Director (Corporate Communications & Marketing) said that the Youth clubs project is just one example of 58吃瓜鈥檚 widening access and outreach work.
鈥淲e also run GCSE revision courses, Science workshops for girls, a Summer School for Year 12 pupils and an aspiration-raising programme called TOP which involves over 1,700 pupils across north Wales,鈥� she said, adding 鈥淧romoting higher education and the opportunities available to young people is a vital part of 58吃瓜鈥檚 work.鈥�
Publication date: 11 February 2014