By Eva Drummond, Youth Advisor for the Loneliness in the Digital World project
Before I started volunteering with Generation Scotland the only opportunities that I had to practice public speaking were in school. Because of this, my previous experiences were to people I already knew rather than to strangers. Gen Scot has given me the opportunity to attend health conferences where it has been possible for me to speak to large groups of people that I have never spoken to before. This means that I have become more and more confident in presenting and talking to others.
I feel much more at ease when I’m standing in front of large groups, and I really enjoy attending events where I am to speak rather than worrying till it is my time to speak. These health conferences have also given be the space to practice networking with other people who are interested in my work or Generation Scotland’s work overall, this has meant that I am now able to hold in depth conversations with complete strangers which will be a very important lesson that I can use when I’m older.
The work with the YPAG has also made me much more comfortable working in large groups of very diverse people as I have been able to both take a leadership role and also be led by the other members of the group. I have been able to take charge and help support other young people in the group which I have loved doing and have also been able to take a step back and be given instructions by others. We have also communicated in many ways such as face to face, over zoom and through emails or messages, this has been very important to me as I have been able to experience a large variety of forms of communication. This has meant that I feel I am able to express myself through my spoken words and written words with the same impact.
The loneliness project has led to a lot of decisions that we as the YPAG have had to make, for example we were able to make decisions and advise Gen Scot on how we think the app should look. I have also been able to give my input on the phrasing of the signup message which was really important to me as I want it to be accessible to all young people. I have been supported by Gen Scot to be able to advise but also communicate my own opinions which were taken into consideration and were respected by both staff and other young people. This has meant that I truly understand the weight of my words and know that there are people that want to know what I have to say. I have loved working on this project, and I appreciate greatly the many opportunities it has given me and can drastically see the impact this project has had on my self-confidence.
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