OUR PEOPLE: It's back to school for our Nick

 

I currently manage eight staff members working in schools and the community including a school counsellor, youth worker, a parent support worker and our new health and well being development worker.

 

Because each of our workers is based in different schools, it's important for me to ensure that headteachers are happy with the service they receive and keep the communications strong.

 

While trying to sustain funding for our workers, I'm also trying to develop ways of involving young people in our work and create meaningful partnerships with other organisations.

 

I meet regularly with workers and schools, organising team activities, keeping staff up to date with their training, evidencing our effectiveness, involving young people in our design and delivery and working in partnership with other organisations.

 

I have a great team who invest their own lives into the lives of young people. They do brilliant work and I passionately believe we make a difference to young people, but at the same time I love being able to improve what we do and strengthen our work. It's great to take a new idea or concept and run with it and see what grows.

 

Primarily I always see myself as a youth worker, so I'm involved in my church running small groups, youth clubs and youth events. It's a God given passion and it fires me up to work directly with young people.

 

I've been married for 12 years and have three children. I'm also on the leadership team at my church, Oak Grove Chapel. If I ever get any spare time it's spent playing FIFA on the Xbox, making cakes or painting model soldiers!

 

Life is usually action-packed but I am grateful for every opportunity God gives and the privilege of working with young people. Whilst things are financially tight for our team I can say from experience that if it is part of God’s plan there is no stopping it.