What is the real art of youth work? 

Join us for a special Youth Work Week webinar on the 4th November, hosted by our Head of Youth Development, Tracy Blackstock. Tracy heads a panel of young Trustees and Progression Coaches from our Young People’s Accommodation Service in a discussion about leadership, equity and opportunity in the youth sector.  

What impact can youth work services play in young people’s lives? 

Register for our webinar here. Taking place on the 4th November at 12pm.

I’m a current student at SOAS and I study social sciences, which magnifies my interests in people and diversity. For two years, I was the spokeswoman for a Muslim and women of colour-led activist organisation called Help The World Oxford. At this organisation, they facilitated a space for young women to flourish in the social advocacy field. Growing up as the only Asian girl at school set a foundation of understanding the experience of feeling misrepresented. Youth work was an opening for me to recognise parts of my own identity in spaces of importance – such as social media, mental health and charities. My passion for youth work stems from a desire to diversify the third sector, and instil my own experiences of being an Asian woman into my work.

I’m a youth participation professional with a decade’s additional experience as a campaigner and volunteer centred on young people’s rights, health, and voices. I successfully campaigned for first aid to be taught in schools as a National First Aid Advocate with St John Ambulance, and I now volunteer as the organisation’s National Youth Participation Lead. I also champion youth social action through the #iWill movement, with whom I co-designed the youth strand of the 10-year national Vision for Volunteering strategy. As a trustee of Oxfordshire Youth, I bring my youth voice expertise and share my own experiences of living, studying, and working in Oxfordshire. I want to ensure young people across the county receive the support and opportunities they deserve.

I currently work as a Public Affairs and Media Officer for the UK’s ad regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority. I’ve been involved in youth voice since I was a teenager and it’s something I’ve remained passionate about ever since. I was previously a media spokesperson for Girl Guiding UK, and I also represented the organisation on their British Youth Council panel. In this role, I represented the voices of around 400,000 young women and girls. Now, I’m a young trustee for Oxfordshire Youth, a position which I find incredibly rewarding as I get to use my youth voice experience to impact real decision making.