Norwich School is proud to have hosted the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in the East of England since 2019. Last year, we deepened our partnership with the launch of a new series of Youth Micro-Lectures on the theme ‘People, Planet, Partnership’, and we are excited to continue that series again this year. As before, we invited pupils in Years 10 to 13 from schools across the East of England to apply to give a short lecture on a topic of their 
choice to a public audience including RGS Fellows and members. This year we were very pleased to offer six selected lectures by pupils from Diss High School, Hethersett Academy, Norwich School and Notre Dame High School. It was, as promised, a fascinating evening.

Hethersett Academy Pupil, Jembyen Ladep, Shares Her Experience of The RGS Micro Lectures below;

"My chosen topic was based on my general interest and passion for human rights. When it comes to geography, I am particularly passionate about human geography and the social development around countries. In addition, I am intrigued by the physical environment and the role of humans in managing the environment. Although schemes that involve humans taking care of the environment like conservation are often only depicted in a positive light, the disregard for people living in areas of conservation is often overlooked. Hence, I chose to delve into how conservation models are often rooted in colonial mindsets and the violence they often come with to inform people in hopes of conservation schemes being more sustainable.

My interest in taking part stemmed from indigenous people’s overlooked role in conservation in the GCSE syllabus. When I researched the topic, I was met with the shocking reality of the violence against indigenous people who live in conservation areas which is often ignored to present a falsified image of all conservation schemes being optimally ethical and resourceful. To progress, in a sustainable direction conservation must be done with the consideration of indigenous groups within the area. Through participating, I was able to inform people about a topic they would have likely continued to be ignorant about if not stated. Hence, I found it crucial to speak up for human rights which currently are silenced.

After giving my talk I felt quite proud that I was able to get my message as clear as I hoped to. The environment I gave my talk in was very welcoming as well which added a sense of comfortability whilst giving my talk. Whilst I was preparing for the talk, I felt quite anxious as I wanted my passion to come across, so I practiced it a lot. This was beneficial as once on stage the main thing I became fixated on was my knowledge of the topic and including in as much information as possible and it was completely less nerve-wracking than I thought it would be. The crowd was also super supportive as well. The questions asked helped to add a sense of reassurance after the speech that they cared about your words and ideas. The applause at the end was encouraging.

Overall, the experience was extremely valuable as public speaking is required in several aspects of education and for most sectors of employment. The experience allowed me to build up my confidence in public speaking and allowed me to see areas I could improve in next time so if I ever need to give another presentation, I can transfer over the skills I learned. Furthermore, it is an honourable opportunity to put on my CV due to the prestige of the RGS so it will permit me to stand out against other competitors when it comes to school or work opportunities in the future.

Additionally, all the staff at Norwich School who participated in making the RGS Micro-Lecture night possible were incredibly considerate and supportive throughout the whole process. The technical work that goes behind making the night successful such as sorting out microphones and presentation slides was incredible, and it was sorted quickly so Micro-Lecturers could give an impactful speech. They made it a comfortable and kind atmosphere which helped increase the morale when needing to give the speech. In my experience, I felt a burst of nervousness right before I was about to give my speech but once I conversed with a member of the staff and they shared words of encouragement, the nerves plateaued helping to enhance the quality of my speech.

In the future, I would love to continue my research into the treatment of indigenous people due to it being a crucial social issue that I believe is under-researched. I would also like to explore the varying stages of development across the world. As world issues are increasingly posed due to factors such as population growth and climate change, I find it intriguing to read about the workable solutions to help people in developing countries with issues like water scarcity. Moreover, it is also interesting to read about how issues and solutions differ depending on the development in different regions. As well as their effectiveness"