Oscar Daniel Email & Phone Number

Undertook an additional research position within the department, assisting Professor Fuschia Sirois to develop a procrastination toolkit for students. This ran parallel to other projects which required my attention. Becoming familiar with different elements of the research process such as ethics applications, participant recruitment and literature reviews has been incredibly beneficial for my development as a researcher.

Working in collaboration with the Music department, I was tasked with gathering participants who fit a specific criteria before a deadline. Once participants were recruited, I was required to present a series of memory tasks to the participant and record scores. The study was analysing differences in memory between musicians and non-musicians as part of a worldwide study across multiple universities.

North Tyneside, England, United Kingdom

The role of a facilitator requires a deep level of care and interest in the lives and issues of each group member, which allows me to be present in every meeting. Hearing members open up about themselves has given me a deeper and more personal understanding of the day-to-day difficulties that people suffering from mental health issues face.From experience in meetings and training days, Peertalk has greatly enhanced my ability to communicate in situations where the topic of conversation can be sensitive or heavy. A large part of our training was focused on active listening techniques, which can be vital in allowing group members to feel heard when opening up. To improve my active listening skills even further, I attended a 3-day training weekend provided by Nightline, for which I achieved an Enhanced Nightline Certificate.

Throughout my time in youth voice, I campaigned for and held a multitude of roles. Starting as a youth councillor, I realised that fighting for issues that my peers faced was something I had a great passion for. Hence, I went on to campaign for young mayor. Through finding and reaching out to unfamiliar contacts from schools, youth groups, or even shopping centres, I promoted myself in the form of speeches and posters. I also utilised social media to spread my image to the young voters. After being successful, I used these methods two years later to achieve the role of Member of Youth Parliament.These senior roles required me to effectively lead large teams of people. Responsibilities often included organising and chairing meetings, while simultaneously harbouring close working relationships to ensure each member was happy in their role and aligned in achieving the goals of the group.My tenure in youth voice has given me an instinctive ability to communicate confidently and fluently in unfamiliar situations, and to be able to adjust my delivery based on the audience.I am thankful to the BYC for the opportunities it has presented me, such as the chance to participate in a Houses of Commons debate, to take part in a Youth Select committee on the impact of body image, and to meet others who are just as eager to tackle the issues that continue to face young people.

The function of this advisory group was for researchers to present their child-focused research in return for our feedback. The group was very successful in providing insights that weren’t available from an adult’s perspective, with many of the researchers returning with new projects several times over my tenure.My experience in this group was an early introduction into the functions of research; being a part of it was fascinating to me. Discussing improvements to research with respected doctors and professors was crucial in developing my critical thinking skills at a young age.