A group of Year 9 pupils attended the Wildhearts Global Youth Summit on Tuesday 19th November, in London at the head office of BNP Paribas companied by Dr Jones (Head of Library & Enrichment) and Mrs Aris (Outreach & Enrichment Manager). The group spent an amazing day completing business tasks that had an environmental and sustainability focus that were presented by managers and project leaders from the Wildhearts global partners, BNP Parabis, Nestle, Zurich and Linklaters. Below you can read all about our amazing day:
MICHELLE’S EXPERIENCE OF THE GLOBAL YOUTH SUMMIT
Walking into the BNP Paribas building was an unforgettable experience. The atmosphere was professional and sophisticated, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement as we prepared for the Global Youth Summit. It felt like stepping into a world of endless possibilities, and I was eager to see what the day would bring.
The conference room was filled with students from other schools, all buzzing with energy. We were introduced to our mentor, and from the moment we met her, she radiated with positivity and inspiration. She shared her career journey, the twists, the turns, and the lessons she learned along the way. She was kind, approachable, and truly invested in helping us succeed now and in the future.
Throughout the summit, our mentor guided us step by step, helping us navigate challenges and make smart decisions. Together, we worked as a team to avoid pitfalls like debt and much more, and the sense of accomplishment was incredible.
The Global Youth Summit was not just an event, it was an amazing experience that left us inspired to dream big and work hard too. I left the building feeling more confident and motivated ready to take on more opportunities.
BNP Paribas by Carena
At the Global Youth Summit in London on November 19th, one of the most exciting activities was run by BNP Paribas and focused on sustainability in business. We acted as a water bottle manufacturing company and had to choose between two strategies: high-risk, high-reward shareholder investment or low-risk, steady-reward sustainability. The activity was a game of dice, where each roll decided whether we made a profit or a loss. Our group chose the sustainability option, and although one roll caused a loss, we ended up making a total profit of 5 million. This activity taught us how to weigh risks and rewards while showing how sustainability can attract investors. It was a really fun and creative way to learn about smart business decisions.
Zurich by Sophia
Our second activity was based on discussing how we can make our school more sustainable. We discussed using electric mini buses so that we can save energy. As well as this, we thought about encouraging more students to ride and walk to school. We were thinking about adding bike racks so that people can safely leave their bikes at school during the day. We also thought about adding solar panels to our school roof, so that we can use energy sustainably. We also thought of improving the drainage near the school, so to reduce the chances of flooding. This gave us lots of ideas to take back to school with us.
Nestle by Stephanie
During our third activity, we were guided by some Nestle representatives. We first listened to a short presentation by Nestle and their ties towards Climate change and the way they are attempting to become a more sustainable company. They are trying to do this by using reusable and biodegradable packaging and products, decreasing carbon emissions and wastage. The activity we were set was to create a storyboard (displaying our possible advert) and product concept around a Juice of our choice. The MSJ group came up with our idea of ‘Re-Juice’. Re-Juice is a re-fillable product, with the flavour of Cranberry. The way we made Re-Juice sustainable was making up the refilling concept: the consumer would buy the initial glass bottle of the Cranberry juice and once they used up all the product, they would buy a bag or pouch of the liquid instead and fill up their previous glass bottle at home. I found this activity the most enjoyable because it was really active; we were able to discuss and brainstorm ideas which created an energetic atmosphere. This was by-far my favourite experience of the day as it was engaging and stimulating.
Linklaters by Emily
For the final workshop, we attended a presentation by Linklaters. It was highly informative, offering a wealth of information about climate change, the environment, and the role their company plays in addressing these issues through law. They discussed their efforts to benefit the environment and tackle climate-related challenges from a legal perspective. We then had a task to see if we thought a company was guilty of greenwashing their information by discussing different examples.
In conclusion, our day in London attending the conference was a truly enjoyable and valuable experience. We gained a much clearer understanding of how companies approach climate change and adapt their strategies, no matter how it affects their business. We feel incredibly honoured and grateful for the opportunity to take part in this event and to deepen our knowledge on such an important and relevant topic.
