Job title
Youth Work Student
Tell us more about you
I’m currently studying Community Youth Work at Ulster University. I really enjoy getting involved in projects that help with the personal development of young people and social action projects. Even though I’m rather outgoing and enjoy my time on the dancefloor, I also like to spend time watching Netflix or YouTube.
I have eclectic and eccentric tastes and my hobbies and interests don’t stick to one lane, from RuPaul’s Drag Race to building computers, and from gaming to hiking, and trying to squeeze in a session of gymnastics on a Saturday.
What kind of work do you do?
As a Youth Worker, some people assume I get paid to take groups of young people surfing. This isn’t too far from the truth, although my day to day duties tend to be based more on making sure the young people have a safe space to develop themselves and learn from one another on topics such as community relations, as well as physical and mental wellbeing.
Usually I'm based in a youth centre delivering programmes or we are out on the streets doing outreach and recruiting new members, or just having a bit of craic with the young folk.
Top 5 Skills & Attributes Needed for your job
- Caring & Helpful
- Communicator
- Empathetic
- Enthusiastic
- Ethical
How did you become a Youth Work Student ?
I floated through school and also through different levels of education. I went to college to do a Level 3 IT course but left due to personal reasons. I didn’t really have any goals until I started working with a mentor on the Career Ready programme (Rachel Doherty, MD of 4C UR Future!). After many discussions and some tough love, she convinced me to complete the course so I could get the UCAS points I needed to go on and study what I really wanted to do, which was Community Youth Work.
My love for youth work developed when I joined a programme called the Futures Project; a personal development programme for young adults to give them guidance on their next steps. Seeing how beneficial the support of the youth workers was for young people like me inspired me to want to take on that role myself. Nearly five years later, and I'm almost finished my degree.
What you do enjoy most about your job?
My favourite part of youth work is definitely seeing a young person progress and develop throughout a programme. I love seeing them find confidence in themselves and do things they previously thought they couldn't.
I also like to believe that I’m an agent of social change. I always come away from a session hoping I've inspired at least one person to be authentically themselves or to believe they can change the world, because they can.
Equipping just one young person with the tools to make a change within themselves or their own community has such a big effect.
If you could do-over, What would you do differently?
Trust in myself and make more mistakes. I wouldn’t let fear hold me back. Trying and ‘failing’ is better than not trying at all; you don’t know where that ‘failure’ could take you.
What advice would you give someone starting out on their career jouney today?
Go easy on yourself! Despite the world around us wanting us to move so quickly, you don't have to. You have time.
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