Chichester College Student Represents Falkland Islands at UK Youth Parliament  

Chichester College student Stanley Betts recently had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to speak at the UK Youth Parliament about his experience studying in the UK and abroad, including his time at Chichester College.

Stanley, who studies A-levels in history, computer science and graphic communication at the college, was invited to the annual gathering of the UK Youth Parliament by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP.

He was one of 10 representatives from UK Overseas Territories who were invited to share their thoughts on issues affecting young people in their communities and to share their perspectives on education, opportunity, and youth engagement.

Stanley described how he had been invited to give a speech on the day, saying:

“The Head of Education in the Falklands was looking for someone to represent the youth of the islands for the Youth Parliament. They offered everyone the opportunity who was studying in the UK, and I put my hat in the ring and sent off a brief script of what I wanted to say, and I got accepted.

“We had to give a two-minute speech about the education system where they are from, the positives and benefits of it, and how it can be improved.

“We don’t have any access to colleges or universities locally, so the government has a scheme where they fund individual students to go and study abroad…I think Chichester College is the most popular one.”

He also talked about why he chose to come to Chichester College in particular:
“I picked Chichester because of the opportunities it gave me, as well as because it felt like it gave me a more homely environment.

“I’ve found the college really friendly, I’ve had no complaints so far, it’s been quite a friendly environment, and the teachers are very supportive, I have nothing bad to say about it.”

Stanley also spoke about the welcoming and diverse environment at Chichester College, both in and out of the classroom:

“It’s the most multicultural place I’ve ever stayed before, because we have people from all over the place, from Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and some from Dubai…it’s really interesting.

“I think the staff at the college, whether it’s the teachers that teach me or the staff in general, have probably been some of the friendliest people I’ve seen in quite a while.”

During his speech, Stanley expressed hope that the Falklands’ approach to supporting students studying abroad could serve as a model for other UK Overseas Territories.