We’d love to show you around a local Youth Zone, allowing you to see for yourself the impact that these centres make. Simply fill in your details below and a member of the team will be in touch to arrange a visit.
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Youth work has the power to shape lives, and we want to hear how it shaped yours.
Tell us about the youth work experiences that made a difference to you, or a youth worker who believed in you, encouraged you or opened up new opportunities.
Share your story as part of #YouthWorkMadeMe and help us show the lasting impact of youth work.
The impact of youth work can last a lifetime.
Read stories from people sharing the lasting impact youth work has had on their lives.
“Youth work made me resilient and made me feel able.”
I’m Kashmire, I am currently in regional government working as an admin at the West Midlands Combined Authority. My connection to The Way, and OnSide is that I had the great joy of being a part of the Young People’s Personal Development Group, and was then a member for about a year and a half.
Everybody here was just super friendly. Myself being openly autistic, meant obviously sometimes I needed somebody to talk to. Being a teenager who was becoming a young adult, that was an enormously busy and a really important part of my development and my life. So obviously, being able to engage with these youth workers and here really, felt really important and was incredibly valuable to my development.
The one thing that I think it certainly built up was my resilience. In many people’s cases coming to places like this [The Way] and being involved in youth work has been life changing. It opens up doors and it builds young people’s resilience.
“Youth work made me realise there was so much more ahead of me."
I’m Molly, I’m 23 years old, and I’ve been a part of The Hive since the day opened.
I remember coming into The Hive on the first day and you literally couldn’t see the building because there were that many people inside.
From 2017 to 2022, I lived and breathed to this place, I was here seven days a week.
Whether it was rehearsals for Edge of 17, which was our vocal group, or I was volunteering as a young leader on the junior sessions, or being a young person myself, I was here every single day.
The Hive was like my safe place and my second home. Everyone in the Youth Zone was like a family. I knew I could come in here feeling anything and would have someone who I could go to. I’ve seen firsthand what you’ve workers do and the impact they have for the young people. And I always said, I want to go back and do that for the younger generation, which I now do by volunteering at the Youth Zone.
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