News

The Royal Geographic Society hosted its inaugural micro-lectures session on 23rd November. GCSE and A-Level students from across the county were invited to propose a topic for presentation which met the brief of ‘People, Place and Planet.’ After short listing, two Attleborough Academy students were selected to present.  

Rory Atkins (Year 12) opted to speak on “Global Blindness” which focused on the issues of accessibility around the world to optometry medical services. Whilst Nicole Cepin (Yr10) chose to talk about “Period Poverty” which focused on the challenges in both developed and developing countries of providing suitable sanitary wear.  

The talk was hosted by Norwich School and four other students from Diss, and Norwich Schools were also shortlisted to present. All students show independent research skills and were experts in their fields, even showing great competence in their subject by fielding a range of tough questions from RGS Fellows and other audience members during the Q&A time which followed their presentations.  

However, what set Rory and Nicole’s presentations apart from the crowd was their intense passion for the subjects they chose. They did not just rattle off a list of detailed facts and figures, but explored the issues and delved into the possibilities for change that could happen. They were the only two students to get a special mentioned in the closing remarks from the guest speaker, Honorary Chair Prof Tim O’Riordan. 

It was a real pleasure to see the youth generation leading the discussions on such important global issues. It was inspiring and allowed the students to broaden their own horizons. Congratulations Rory and Nicole, you’ve done yourselves proud.  

Mrs Moss 

 

Period Poverty: A Global Crisis? By Nicole Cepin 

At the start of researching for the micro-lecture I was unsure where the focus of my talk should be. After some discussion I came to the focus of 'Period Poverty'. I will not lie, I did not know what it was, as I have never had any experience on the topic prior to this, but as I looked into it, researched it and I have learnt a lot.  

I have discovered that period poverty is more than your first thoughts about it. It involves or has involved everyone that you probably know. It is a shame that people will not talk about such topics. The struggles that women all around the world face during such a vulnerable time in their lives can be heart-breaking to read about.  

Raising awareness of the issue is important and we should not shy away from talking about it more openly. That is why I have participated in a fantastic experience, and I hope to continue this next year.