Celebrating Success Genna Gilpin

Published by The Royal School Dungannon on Tuesday 17th of October 2023

Last week, 3 of our students attended the One World event held in Belfast. Sophie-Jean Knox and Jayne Courtney attended the opening conference for this event, while Genna Gilpin from Mid Ulster Youth Voice received a sponsored place through Mid Ulster District Council.

Genna shares her experience from the week…..
“The one young world summit was an incredible experience where I was able to network with thousands of other like minded young people from all around the world. It was transformative to hear some of the stories and experiences these other delegates have had and has really made me consider how I can implement some of their ideas and attitudes into my own life and community.

I had the chance to hear from some truly inspirational speakers. They spoke on the food crisis, education, global warming, mental health and peace and reconciliation. One of my favourite speakers was Crystal Asige, a blind parliamentarian of Kenya, who is a strong advocate for inclusivity and has shown the world that she does not let her disability hold her back or define her. I found it very inspirational to hear from her because she has shown how she has thrived in a difficult environment.

I also loved hearing from Dr James Doty who spoke on mental health. It was very inspirational to hear his story, but the part that really resonated with me was how it all began when someone chose to believe in him. This really moved me and I hope to take it on board in my future so that I can become more of an enabler to other young people.

However, the thing that left the biggest imprint on me was said by a past delegate speaker, Manoly Sisavanh, who put forward the issue that people are always telling us that we are the future generation and that we are the future, but she emphasised that we’re not, we are the present and we are now so we need to take action now, and not wait around for the future to arrive”

Well done girls, it was great to see so many students from RSD involved in this event!