Our final event of the 24/25 POW year was a brilliant inspiration day hosted and arranged by Thirteen at their Middlehaven HQ. Rather than just show them round the site, Cheryl and the team created a day that asked children to think about their own role in their communities – something that Thirteen does as a social housing provider in theirs. Through a range of activities the children got to meet a wide range of people with different roles in the organisation but ALL focussed on making life better for residents in their housing areas. The focus was then placed on the children to identify what their thoughts were, how they would change things for the better; focussing on anti-social behaviour.

Each school worked with their local Thirteen ‘connector’ and came up with some plans to address the issues. They were then asked to create an elevator pitch that they would deliver to the CEO at the end of the day. The winning team would walk away with some funding to try and enact what they had proposed.

I work with thousands of children every year, face to face as well as through our online work. I see so many inspiring young people and I hope I help to encourage and develop their confidence and sense of of agency.

But this lot had me welling up.

I have had the absolute privilege of working with them across the year. Children who on ‘Day 1’ would only walk about in tight knit groups and would barely make eye contact with someone they didn’t know. And now?

They presented their ideas with confidence, with passion and with real professionalism. Honestly, they were BRILLIANT. I knew they would do the task fine but seeing them absolutely smash it, speak with confidence to ‘the CEO’ who they had just met at one end of his huge (and intimidating!) boardroom table was one of the proudest moments of my professional life. Honestly, there must have been something wrong with the aircon in there because I seemed to constantly have something in my eye…

And I told them that when they had finished. They had made me so, so proud of seeing how they had taken what we had offered all year long and developed such confidence. And that is what POW has done to those, and all of our, ambassadors. They have agency in the world.

Oh and the other exciting bit. Matt the CEO was also really impressed and he committed £2000….

….to ALL of the schools who came on the day.

They will now work with the local Thirteen teams to bring to life their ideas.

Legacy.

Thirteen – you were brilliant!