Students from schools across Norwich gathered to kick start projects to help them achieve their potential.

Norwich Evening News: Jane Austen College students at the event. Photo: Jacqueline BirchamJane Austen College students at the event. Photo: Jacqueline Bircham (Image: Jacqueline Bircham)

The Norwich Opportunity Area Youth Board School Challenge was launched at OPEN.

The scheme is aimed at students aged between 11 and 25 to help raise young people's aspirations and overcome the key factors that may hold them back from achieving their potential.

The students attended the initial launch and would then take the challenge back to schools and colleges and form a task force to come up with ideas for potential projects. Their idea could later become a real project for the city.

The projects will then be presented back to a panel on Friday, March 9.

Programme director, Jacqueline Bircham, said: 'Norwich is now an opportunity area, meaning young people can achieve more no matter their background. We're here to ask young people who they think about growing up in Norwich.

'We're hoping for quite imaginative ideas and the whole idea behind this was to let the young people know to look at things in a different perspective.

'We originally asked schools to send people who had an interest in this.

'We're keen to make sure that they have a voice. It's a chance for them to say what we should be doing for them to make Norwich a better place for them. They then get a chance to take what's happening back to their schools.'

Notre Dame High School. City Academy, Sewell Park Academy, City of Norwich School, Norfolk Young Carers Forum, Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form, Open Academy and Jane Austen College took part in the event.

Norwich North MP Chloe Smith said: 'I wanted the youth board to reach out to all schools in Norwich and other kinds of places too, so that it could fully represent young people in this important programme.

'I am very proud of how our founder youth board members have stepped up and I hope new members join after today too so that the Opportunity Area can work with the amazing young people it is there to serve. This is all about young people's life chances in our city.'