A GROUNDBREAKING venture by education leaders in Southampton will see 400 pupils take to the seas in a bid to shape their own future.

Youngsters aged from ten to 18 are being invited to be part of the first event of its kind in the city.

Pupils are being given the chance to WIN a place onboard a 'floating conference' where a series of workshops will be held themed around the future of the city.

Alongside that students will be taken on a unique 'sail by' around parts of the Isle of Wight before giving them a unique perspective of the engine room of the city - The Docks.

The event entitled 'Imagine the Future' was the brainchild of Southampton Education Forum which wanted to come up with a way young people in the city could engage with the future plan for the city.

Some 70 schools have been emailed inviting a small group of pupils to the Imagine the Future event where they will be whisked off on-board specially commissioned ferry - courtesy of Red Funnel.

Once on board they will take part in a series of workshops on areas where their views could help shape future policies.

They include health, leadership of education, engendering a pride in the city and employment.

The workshops will be presented to the primary and secondary school children by sixth form students who will have prepared the presentations as part of the learning experience.

The specially commissioned round-trip will also take the students on a unique voyage, taking in parts of the Isle of Wight and a tour of Southampton waterfront.

It is hoped that in itself with help broaden the pupils' horizons and inspire them to be a part of making their home city a vibrant attractive city of the future.

As previously reported, city leaders launched their vision for the future of Southampton where they outlined plans to bring £3 billion of investment to the city, create 24,000 jobs and build 5,000 new homes by 2030.

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The 'Future Southampton' vision was presented by Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale to headteachers from across the city who were then inspired and supported by her, to organise an event that harnessed the views of young people in shaping key policy areas.

Headteacher of Upper Shirley High Stuart Woods (pictured below) is the current chair of the Southampton Education Forum (SEF) who with vice-chair Alice Wrighton - principal at Richard Taunton Sixth Form - has overseen the project which has been supported by Southampton City Council and Red Funnel.

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Teachers from across the city have come together to get the project off the ground which has been a year in the planning.

Mr Woods said: "The idea came from when we, as SEF, heard the strategy Southampton council was putting together for the future of the city.

"Young people are a vital part of that so we wanted to come up with an event which would be for them, and a way of getting their views in shaping the future of their city.

"Since we first came up we have been very impressed with the amount of collaboration from across the schools to work together on this one thing.

"It shows just how much we all want to deliver the same exciting and aspirational opportunities for our children. That is our job, to give them that and Imagine the Future delivers on that."

Mr Woods said the whole team from the SEF, particularly Christian Down at the Inspire school, had made the project a reality alongside key council workers driving the project including Denise Edgehill, Natalie Johnson, Katie Anastasi and Dottie Goble.

He also thanked Red Funnel for allowing one of their vessels to be commandeered by schoolchildren for the day.

The firm is the main sponsor of the Imagine the Future project after being approached by SEF with their plans.

They have picked up the majority of the £10,000 that it has cost to stage the project though their sponsorship.

The company were so impressed with the idea of the SEF to involve the younger generations in the future plans for the city, they pulled out the stops to make the plan a reality.

HR director at Red Funnel, Shirley Anderson, said: "We think this is just a fantastic opportunity to give the young people of this city.

"We as a company very much have our own development plans to enhance our investment here in Southampton and young people are a big part of that.

"They are our future customers and future employees potentially, so we want to help show them what they can achieve and give them this opportunity that some of them may never have had before."

Following the trip, the thoughts and ideas from the youngsters will be compiled by the education leaders and presented to the council.

From there it is hoped it will become a starting point for developing their views in influencing the future direction of the development of the city, and inspire a number of projects that young people can get involved in.

The boat trip onboard the Red Osprey will take place on June 30 and schools still have a chance to register for the event.

The ship will spend the morning at sea before retuned to the dockside by 1.30pm.

To apply for a place schools should contact katie.anastasi@southampton.gov.uk.