Reinventing Spaces with Orchard School

Last week, 40 Year 10 students from Orchard School participated in an exciting event ran with UWE, the Bristol Property Agents Association, and the Bristol Property Inclusion Charter. The session was created to showcase the variety of pathways and roles available within Bristol’s Property Sector and to boost diversity and inclusion across the industry. 

Firstly, students were given the opportunity to really get to know the volunteers from across the property sector, through a speed networking session. Students asked excellent questions to learn more about the industry experts and their personal pathway into their career. The room was abuzz with volunteers sharing more about their professional experiences. This was followed by students moving into smaller groups to meet their mentor for the day, as well as the industry experts. 

Year 10 were then set the creative brief of repurposing an empty unit of The Galleries shopping centre. Within the first few moments of the challenge, students were delegating roles amongst themselves and working with their mentors to establish their team strategy. Whilst some students met the industry experts, the rest of the group began work putting a presentation together, ready to pitch their ideas later.  

After lunch, students presented their ideas, and we were completely blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of the imagined spaces. Students had considered sustainability, as well as impact on community. They had worked together to develop a strong pitch for using the space. Our industry experts were ready to offer feedback and congratulate students on their innovative ideas. Year 10 developed new skills throughout the day, including negotiation, communication and presentation skills. Most importantly, students learnt that they were able to strengthen their ideas by working as a team. 

We would like to thank UWE, the Bristol Property Agents Association and the Bristol Property Inclusion Charter for supporting us to create such a wonderful event. We would also like to thank the school staff and our brilliant volunteers from across the sector who provided excellent guidance and support to the students. Finally, a huge well done to the students at Orchard School! They demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout the day and their ideas were truly inspirational!