The Amos Bursary Virtual Annual Youth Leadership conference took place on the 17th July. The theme of the conference was SEIZE THE MOMENT. And over 150 young people attended.
The event was hosted by Remel Ano Barneih and technical support was provided by KC’I Beckford, both of them recent graduates who had received 1st class honours degrees in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science respectively.
The conference was thought provoking and explored why it is important to “seize the moment” and how as future leaders young people can contribute to the changing world agenda, and how their personal strength, resilience and character will enable them to pursue their dreams. The speakers shared their different experiences demonstrating how they made a tremendous impact on their community and society as a whole.
Lord Hastings gave the global perspective and drew on historical concepts and anecdotes to link with the world today. Tessy Ojo reinforced the importance of seizing the moment to illustrate how she became CEO of the Diana Trust. Paul Gurney was able to demonstrating using sporting greats how they seized the moment and the character traits they all had, which ultimately contributed to their success. Joining the conference from the USA was Tonie Leatherberry bringing the USA perspective. James Frater ( KCL) pressed home the significance of seizing the moment, and Kenny Imafidon ( AB alumni and CEO Clearview Research) ) shared his experiences and seven tips as an entrepreneur. He also led the Panel discussion with six Amos students which kept the energy high and content relevant.
The young men recently completed the Amos Bursary journey from sixth form to graduate and left University this summer 2020. They shared their stories about SEIZING THE MOMENT. Treasure Oyelade, Lohan Morrison, Remel Anno-Barneih, Qasim Barrow, Oshotse Alliu and George Imafidon.
The conference made an impact on students in a variety of ways. This was the first conference for year 12 Amos Associate student, Dejaun James and he said “This conference has given me an in-depth insight of how as a black Caribbean male in a white dominated society I can “Seize the World”. It aided me to recognise how I can take up every opportunity given and how I shouldn’t let my ideologies be silenced by anyone. The presentation by James Fater was the most influential for me and taught me that it doesn’t matter about the colour of your skin or your social background but by being persistent and putting your mind to your goals will help you get to where you want to go to.”
Dejaun James
Andre Deen Swaray said “The session with Tonie Leatherberry was not only a session that resonated with me due to personal experiences, but gave me a way to sharpen my focus and find a method to clarify a blurry vision. She covered her ‘four C’s’, whereby three out of four of them intrigued me the most.
1. Community – where will I fit best and make the greatest impact?
2. Character – how will I align my career choices to my values – what’s the culture of the organisation?
3. Courage – when will I rise to the occasion?
For me the concept of courage is imperative as it convicts us to carry out what we believe in and therefore execute our vision. Which is something I’ll try and develop as I grow.
We are looking forward to our next conference in 2021
OUR SPEAKERS
