Real Clients, Real Change

This year we have evolved our Edge approach around a simple idea. Every Edge project now has a client, a real person or organisation with a real problem, and our pupils deliver against that brief. It embeds the core Edge skills while showing young people how this work looks beyond the classroom and which professions it draws upon.

 

On Wednesday 16 September, we welcomed three guests who brought that model to life.

 

Tony Campion, a former journalist and communication consultant, spoke to our second years about the importance of communication as a skill for life. He then introduced their project, where pupils will choose a topic, they care about and develop their communication skills through both public speaking and digital communication, adapting their ideas to engage different audiences. The project will culminate in an opportunity to appear on Ridge Radio with presenter Tony Campion near the end of term to discuss their chosen topic.

Our third years welcomed Orsolya Foti and Cammie Evans from Surrey Youth Voice at Surrey County Council, who shared key findings from their survey of young people across the County. Education and learning emerged as a critical area of concern, with artificial intelligence a particular focus. In response, our third years will develop resources for Surrey County Council to help educate young people about key elements of AI, creating content by young people, for young people.

 

Dr Lindsay Pressdee spoke to our Fourth Years about the Manchester Universities Game Changer competition, where they will reimagine how disused football shirts can support a more sustainable model of fashion consumption, reduce pollution and waste while helping to create a circular economy.

 

Orsolya and Cammie also undertook workshop supporting our new EDGE Certificate, helping pupils unpack the issues raised by Surrey Youth Voice so their social enterprises can tackle problems genuinely being felt at county level.

 

Real clients, real challenges, real change. That is EDGE as a force for good.