LBU hosts event to celebrate and recognise youth workers

Now, the professionals who provide that support have come together to recognise the positive impact of their work and share experiences at a celebratory event at Leeds Beckett University. 

The event, which has been organised in partnership with Leeds City Council Youth Service and Leeds Youth Alliance, coincided with National Youth Work Week, and provided attendees with an insight into the vision for youth work in Leeds alongside some of the pioneering projects taking place across the region.

Leeds Beckett graduate Emily Jones, who is a senior youth worker at the Youth Association, took part in a panel discussion as part of the event.

In her eyes, it is an example of how the profession is coming together to show more young people that it can provide a fulfilling and rewarding career.

“I think something that we're kind of focusing on a lot at the moment is trying to get more young people motivated to want to do youth work and see it as a career.” She says.

“It was positive because it felt like everyone there was like-minded. We all shared our experiences and it felt uplifting for all of us there.”

Leeds Beckett University runs Youth Work Masters and Degree Apprenticeships courses, whose students Emily recently spoke to her about her career after graduating.

Emily adds: “I really enjoyed delivering the session and it’s something I’m taking up a lot more in my role. It’s great to be able to meet young people wanting to start a career and to give them examples of some of my own experience of what youth work is like as a profession.”

It’s important to get more people understanding that it can be a full career and that it has progression opportunities and everything that every other job has.”

Before college, Emily had never considered a career in youth work, however since taking the leap to study Youth Work and Community Development at Leeds Beckett, her career has gone from strength to strength.

She believes that it is a career that can provide more young people with a rewarding day-to-day role and opportunities to progress.

“I would tell anyone thinking about starting a career to absolutely go for. It. It’s so rewarding and you get so much from it. Every day is a new day, and you get to support so many people trying new things.

“The way I've grown over the past four or five years is just because of the experiences I’ve had.”