Amplify Residential Blog - by Erica Tejasukmana

As a part of the Amplify project, where peer researchers around the country are coming together to look at making youth voice more equitable and fair, we hosted a residential at the end of June. Erica, our intern from Kings got to support the facilitation and running of the residential:

Hello, my name is Erica, and I am currently interning at Partnership for Young London. On the 27th and 28th of June, I had the privilege of supporting a residential workshop held by Nora, where all the peer researcher groups from London, North East, South West, and Yorks and Humber gather to discuss filming a peer researcher’s role and things to consider for the project next year. 

In the morning, Nora and I arrived early to prepare, bringing snacks and drinks, as well as printing materials needed for the day. We started the day off by doing an icebreaker, where everyone pairs up to play a rock, paper, and scissors game, and whoever loses has to form a line behind the winner and chant their name. Rounds continue until there is one champion left. Despite immediately losing in the first round, it was a really fun way to learn the peer researchers’ names and set a lighter mood for the day. Afterwards, Nora presented about the plan for the next two days, especially about the filming, as they wanted to recruit more peer researchers in the upcoming year. This led into a deep-dive session where the researchers grouped up to define their own identities. They created mind maps detailing the essential qualities of a peer researcher, effectively mapping out what they do and what the role means to them. Then they discussed their notes with everyone, drafted out the video structure, assigned each section to a peer researcher, and went out to start filming. Watching it unfold, I find it fascinating how effectively they worked as a team and turned an idea into something solid. Soon, lunch time arrived. I enjoyed the pizza and jacket potatoes and went out to get an iced matcha drink as a treat. Then filming resumed, and afterwards we went to Art Play to wind down and Nando’s for dinner to end the day.

Aside from the residential workshop, I also got to interview several peer researchers from different projects over the two days, namely the Centre for Youth Voice, Amplify, as well as Young Residents in Partnership for a Partnership for Young London trailer the other interns and I are working on. Getting to hear about their firsthand experiences made the purpose of all these projects much more meaningful and valuable. 

The second day was shorter but no less busy. Arriving at 10,  we started the day off by running back and forth, moving all the things in the previous day’s room to one with access to the courtyard. While the peer researchers continued their filming schedules there, I assisted with getting the ingredients for lunch, heading out with Julia to source baguettes, cheese sauces, drinks, and obligatory cans of tuna. After lunch, I continued with the interviews while the peer researchers finished up with their filming and did their focus groups, and we concluded the two days in high spirits and with a group picture. 

Looking back, I am struck by the dedication of these researchers, the sense of ownership over what they do, and how the momentum was kept up over the two days. It was inspiring to see the focus of the project shift toward something more specific, and I really looked forward to seeing how it continues to grow.