University signs Power of Youth Charter

As students gear up for the start of the new academic term, the University of Suffolk has cemented its commitment to the student voice by signing up to the Power of Youth Charter.

The Power of Youth Charter is a national initiative led by the #IWill Movement which is designed to recognise, support and champion youth leadership within businesses and organisations to drive positive change.  

The University of Suffolk is only the second university to sign the charter, reflecting its ongoing support for students and young people, while also formally recognising the collaboration with the University of Suffolk Students’ Union (which became a signatory in 2024) and aligning with the university’s new strategic plan. 

Professor Jenny Higham, Vice-Chancellor, University of Suffolk said: “Signing the Power of Youth Charter demonstrates that we champion the voices and agency of our younger students which in turn will create opportunities for young people to positively contribute to the local community.” 

In early November, the University of Suffolk will be hosting its first youth-focussed Spotlight Suffolk panel discussion at Suffolk One, which will be chaired by the University of Suffolk Students’ Union and feature a panel made up of students and young people discussing the issues that matter most to them. 

The Charter was signed during the inaugural Civic East Conference which saw all six universities based in the East of England come together to champion their impact on local communities and how to embed the student and youth voice into their civic activities. 

The Civic East Conference took place at the University of Suffolk’s waterfront campus on Friday 11 September, with representatives from University of Essex, University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, University of East Anglia and Norwich University of Arts.  

A civic university is one that proactively works with its local community by providing opportunities for engagement and collaboration that meet local needs and ambitions. During the summit, each of the universities outlined one challenge and one solution for delivering successful outcomes for their own communities and how all universities can learn from each other’s experiences.  

The programme included a panel discussion which explored the challenges in the higher education sector and how universities could benefit from the regional network in the East of England. 

Professor Higham continued: “Welcoming delegates from all the universities in the region for the first Civic East Conference has confirmed that we can all benefit from each other’s experiences of civic engagement. The event identified our shared ambitions and how together we can have a stronger voice for higher education in the East of England.” 

The Civic East Conference was held in the same week that the University of Suffolk marked its 10th anniversary of becoming an independent university.