Hello everyone. Welcome to 2020! Boy are we still trying to get our heads around it – not only is this a new year but a new decade.

It’s amazing to think about the changes we’ve seen over the last decade, especially in innovation and new tech in our homes and everyday lives.

And it makes you think about what this new decade will bring as things will inevitably be different and there will be changes to all our lives, hopefully for the good.

We are all hopeful this decade brings us more enlightenment than the last. We may see efforts to tackle the housing crisis, we may see steps to tackle climate change and recognition global warming is a real issue (take note The Donald). If anyone had any doubts, just look at Australia which is currently undergoing a heatwave not seen before and wild fires all over the country. My condolences are with those suffering out there, I wish like anyone else that the situation improves very soon. What we can see this decade are things that we have never seen before in anyone’s life but whether we choose to do it and see it, well that’s just the bit you never know.

I cannot wait to see what this decade has in store for me personally. I’ll be nearing 30, hopefully in a good job and owning my own house. Where either will be and how I will get between them are some of the questions that will face a lot of people in the future. How we all live and move around could radically change with possible zero-emission zones, electric cars and smart homes. Figuring out how we plan for the changes ahead is what the team here are trying to do, but even further in the future to 2050. It’s a tough ask but it’s been really interesting to see how they go about trying to tackle the issue.
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And I’m doing my bit too. We are moving forward with the sessions to engage with young people in our two selected colleges. The sessions will be held in the Abingdon and Witney College and the City of Oxford college. We have some brilliant activities in store for both colleges that have worked to increasingly refine them so they’re the most engaging but also the most helpful to us.

My role is to talk to the students and help us and them find better ways to communicate to help us find out what the students think of our plan but also what they want from it, what they think should be here or not. Every opinion is heavily valued and very much needed for us to gain the best understanding we can. I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of this because I have quite a passion for engagement with people and it’s such a versatile quality as well.

I think for me its quite something when you think your average college student is making impactful decisions that are actually helping us improve lives in the future. We are always looking at endless possibilities but we need enthusiastic feedback to help us paint the picture of what the youth wants. In general, as far as involvement and impact goes, I’d say I’m getting a lot out of this placement.

Let’s hope 2020 is the year for us all. Embracing the moments to enjoy and learn.