30
November
2022
|
13:45
Europe/Amsterdam

Young people speak up at new Youth Forum

Summary

A group of young people from the local area are working with Stansted Airport to help shape how it interacts with the local community.

The new Stansted Airport Youth Forum, developed by the airport’s community team, brings young people aged 16-25 together to provide feedback on the airport's current Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work as well as offer suggestions for future community initiatives.

The students participating in the initiative will meet quarterly and either live, attend college or sixth form within a 15-mile radius of the airport.

In the first session, they discussed MAG's Working Together for a Brighter Future strategy and how local initiatives, such as the airport's colleague volunteering programme, benefit the local community.

The group also heard a presentation on the future airspace change programme and gave feedback on the consultation plans.

Daniel Burford, the airport’s Community Engagement Manager, said the forum would help young people come together and share their opinions on issues that matter to them. He said:

“We are very excited by the potential of the new Stansted Airport Youth Forum. We see it as a vitally important tool to be used to open and encourage a two-way conversation between the young people who live in the area. It is important for us to understand the viewpoints of those who represent the future, and I am sure that young people are eager to have their say on how the airport interacts with the local community. We are still looking for young people who are interested in joining the Forum, so if you are between the ages of 16 and 25, please contact community@stanstedairport.com for more information.”

The scheme forms part of the recently launched MAG Connect programme which aims to educate and inspire people of all ages about the opportunities a career in aviation can provide.

MAG Connect is replicated across the other two airports owned by MAG, Manchester and East Midlands.

Over the next 12 months, the three airports plan to support the education of 12,000 young people, introduce a decarbonisation curriculum called Jet Zero, provide free pre-employment training programmes for jobseekers and offer free upskilling courses for existing employees.

They will also host on-site job fairs, launch writing competitions for Key Stage 2 and 3 students, and organise a series of events to encourage more women to become STEM professionals.