School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health

Last week, I attended Young Scotland Programme: November 2024 at the Western House Hotel, Ayr. There were 21 participants from all across Scotland: these were people working in Scottish government, charities and councils; I was the representative from University of Glasgow. The Programme focuses on improving communication skills, leadership qualities, confidence building & broaden the intellectual horizons of people early in their careers. Participants were asked to deliver an argument on current controversial issues, prepare a short answer to a question, and an impromptu challenge where we were paired in groups and asked to prepare an oral presentation with role-play on a word for which my group was awarded the ‘Outstanding Group’ award. We also had daily debates on news headlines of the day and were asked to defend our answers. There were two guest speakers- Timothy Cho, who was a North Korean defector & Karyn McCluskey, a forensic psychologist, both working for the UK Government; they shared their extraordinary life experiences that was for me, awe-inspiring. Having successfully completed the Programme, I feel more confident and much more aware of social issues & mindset of the people working in our government bodies. It was an excellent time discussing current affairs with the other participants in a safe space where even opposing ideas were considered and expounded on intelligently.

First published: 2 December 2024