In September 2021, Youth Employment UK hosted an online event co-presented by two Youth Ambassador Board members, Amran and Harvey, who were were joined by NCS Ambassador, Jess. The event took place for an audience of Kickstarter’s and focused on discussions about the challenges young people face when looking for employment; as well as some of the opportunities they have taken.
Youth Ambassadors shared their Kickstart experiences
Kickstart is a government scheme for 16-24 year olds that offers funding to create six-month long job placements all over the UK for young people currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. It allows young people to gain a wealth of experience and training to get them ready to tackle the world of work. The NCS Trust is supporting the Kickstart scheme with support packages for employers and work placements for young people.
Youth Employment UK’s Youth Ambassadors attending the NCS Get Connected event wanted to inspire the audience to overcome self-doubt and share how they can develop and gain confidence. The panel was able to share their own stories of where they are now and the journey they took to get them to this point.
What Harvey had to say after the event
Harvey shared his experiences of school and the support he received (or lack of), and how her was deferred from taking an opportunity but chose to believe in himself and took the chance anyway. Harvey reflected:
“It was a pleasure and a privilege to attend the NCS Get Connected event on 10th September to speak to keen young people embarking on their Kickstarter scheme about my career to date and my journey into self-employment. I shared my difficulties landing my first paid employment role and enjoyed speaking to young people about overcoming challenges and stereotypes that they might face when transitioning from education into employment. It was a really rewarding experience hearing how my journey had inspired others, and it was lovely to hear how passionate everyone was about overcoming adversity and landing a role where they can add value to an organisation.
The young people attending the event were so inspiring and I know they will go far. Thank you to NCS for organising such a positive and uplifting event”.
Amran’s reflection on the session
Amran also shared her experiences of being a first generation member of her family going to university and how she had to work whilst completing her degree. She explored her struggles during school and the lack of support and guidance she was offered, and shared how she overcame this during the pandemic by taking initiative and doing her own research. Here is what she had to say after the event:
“It felt lovely to share my experience with others. Being a part of this event gave me a voice and showed those who attend that they also have a voice that can be shared. My advice to young people is that if you can, then take matters in your hands and do not be afraid to ask for support”.
We asked the audience what they thought
“The Get Connected event, more specifically the Youth Employment UK panel, was extremely insightful and provided an account of the many challenges we face during our educational and employment pursuit. The session validated many of the feelings we had when navigating the working world! The panel also provided emotive personal experiences and how they had overcome the obstacles faced. The panel proved to be very motivational and liberating!”
“The Get Connected event was great at bringing together a diverse group of young adults. Sharing ideas, issues and finding commonality amongst ourselves was invaluable, as often, it is easy to forget others are going through similar circumstances. The session ended on a high note, with us sharing ideas to combat the obstacles we had highlighted, and I walked away from the event with a renewed perspective.”
“Get Connected was a really enjoyable and insightful event about sharing and reflecting on experiences to understand how we can learn from and develop skills around them. The keynote for this event was an incredibly inspiring panel of young adults who spoke about how they had persevered and overcome unique and relatable obstacles to find success in their individual fields.”
