Nicola Storey
She took part in Frontrunner in Leeds in 2008 and says of the experience: "It was absolutely fantastic. It provided an amazing opportunity for young people like myself to discuss major issues such as politics with people who have worked on these issues for years, and for us to be treated as individuals with valid questions and points of view.
"It also allowed a group of open-minded young people with very different backgrounds to come together and openly discuss their ideas and achievements, and therefore to learn from and inspire one another. I found it really refreshing and exciting to be grouped with people who similarly found that bumbling along in life was not enough, and who wanted to be stretched and challenged and to make a difference. Whilst being quite intense, each day was filled with a range of activities that constantly stimulated the mind and opened our eyes to new possibilities.
"Of all the courses I have been on, this was definitely the most stimulating, and came at a time in my life where I think it will have a genuine and permanent impact.
"I learnt to ask questions, regardless of what the little voice in my head is telling me the answer will be or how the question will make me appear to others. To keep trying, and making mistakes, until I come up with a result that I am happy with. That the result that I am aiming for may be of a different type or standard to that of other people, but that there is no set outcome, and the result I aim for will have benefits that others' don't.
"I now understand that making mistakes, whilst it can be embarrassing, is not a sign of failure, and that if you learn from your mistakes, later actions can make up for them. I learnt that people work best when they are given freedom to make their own decisions, and that leaders are most respected when they are willing to learn from others. And I now appreciate there is no 'one size fits all' way of 'doing' leadership, and there is no set way a leader should look or behave, apart from that all leaders make a decision and follow it through until the desired outcome is achieved.
"I now have more confidence in my own approach to situations and topics, and appreciate that my view, whilst being affected by external influences like everyone else's, is a result of a unique blend of experiences and ideas, and that I should be proud of it and have faith in my own abilities and interests. I have a greater appreciation for other people's way of doing things and the interesting outcomes that can be produced by a team where everyone is encouraged to use their creativity - in my new position I actively encourage my committee to use their particular skills to produce innovative ideas that will capture the minds of the society members."
