Supporting Young People by Supporting Work Experience

I am Martha Sage, a 21-year-old Liberal Arts student at the University of Leeds. This summer, I spent three weeks gaining hands-on voluntary work experience with Oxfordshire Youth – a charity that empowers young people and paves the way toward a more equal future, where every member of the local community can thrive, regardless of their background or the challenges they face.

Having grown up in Oxford, I feel it is vital, particularly as a young person, to be aware of and understand the real inequalities within Oxfordshire. I wanted to spend my summer doing something meaningful and inspiring that aligned with my values while also offering an insightful learning experience. Oxfordshire Youth offered me this. Throughout my placement, I was able to apply skills from my degree in a setting that clearly drives positive change.

I was given the opportunity to work on a wide range of tasks across the organisation, with a particular focus on fundraising. My work involved conducting due diligence and background checks on potential partners and funders, writing trust funding applications, contributing to a pitch presentation, and learning about the charity’s local projects and how they support young people in the community.

These experiences helped me understand the vital work that happens behind the scenes to deliver programmes that support young people and keep the whole organisation functioning.

One of the most meaningful parts of my time at OY was gathering feedback from surveys given to local young people, which helped shape future initiatives based on their voices. This highlighted to me the importance of listening to the perspectives of the young people to create meaningful and relevant change.

When youth organisations offer work experience opportunities to young adults, they are not just providing professional development. They are empowering young people to help amplify the voices of their peers. Youth-led insight is essential if we want support systems that truly reflect the needs and priorities of young people.

I gained numerous transferable skills during my time at Oxfordshire Youth, including persuasive writing, research and data handling, understanding the importance of anonymity, safeguarding and data protection, recognising how different departments of an organisation work together, and appreciating the importance of youth work, particularly on a local scale.

I am incredibly grateful to the team at Oxfordshire Youth for being so welcoming and for trusting me with meaningful and engaging work. My time with you has shown me how much thought and strategy goes into championing young people – through both direct support and programmes, and in securing the resources and funding that keep these programmes, and the charity itself, running.

Youth work is vital to local communities, and giving young people like me the chance to work with charities first-hand provides valuable knowledge and skills while offering organisations a fresh perspective. It reinforces the importance of youth work taking place both for young people and in partnership with them, at every level.