Hundreds of young people from across the West of England will take part in the West of England Schools Summit hosted by Metro Mayor Dan Norris at Aerospace Bristol on Wednesday 26th April. 

 Students from every secondary school in the region have been invited by the Metro Mayor to discuss the most pressing challenges the West faces and to directly influence the policy decisions of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, which Mr Norris leads. 

So whether it’s helping the Metro Mayor get local public transport firing on all cylinders, giving young people the skills they need to get a great job later in life, or getting on top for the number one issue for the region’s young people right now - the climate crisis - all these issues, and more, are up for grabs on the day. 

 Mr Norris said: “The ideas that students will come up with by the end of the day could, genuinely, change our West of England region for the better. Because one thing I’ve learnt as Metro Mayor is that the imagination of our young people truly has no limits. That’s why it’s so, so important their voices are heard. My West of England Mayoral Combined Authority is listening, and learning.”

 Pupils will get the chance to take part in interactive workshops run by some of the region’s largest employers like Summit sponsors Deloitte, Atkins and Airbus - include fighting it out in a Dragons’ Den competition by pitching their outstanding ideas on how to make the West of England region an even better place to live to Mr Norris and his expert panel of business leaders. 

The decisions young people make will directly feed into West of England Mayoral Combined Authority policy - including an upcoming West of England plan for buses and transport, and programmes in the pipeline to help residents get vital green skills - while the Mayoral Combined Authority will issue progress reports on how the Summit has shaped change and impacted the region. 

 Metro Mayor Dan Norris added: “We know that young people are the change-makers and inspirational voices we need to hear in this critical decade for the West of England - think those net-zero targets we’ve set ourselves for 2030. This Summit is all about asking young people about what the future could look like and to turn their amazing ideas into reality. It is a reminder that everyone’s voice matters in the West of England, and that everyone has the power to make a difference by working together to create an even better West of England region for all. That’s Pupil Power.” 

The 2023 West of England Schools Summit is being hosted by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and has been co-designed with Creative Youth Network.