Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Sadie Smart’s talks through the last year at YG…
5 October 2015
It’s hard to believe that I have been a youth worker at The Link for over a year now!! I originally was only meant to be covering for a colleague for a few weeks but with people moving on to new horizons I had the opportunity to take on the role full-time.
When I first started I was very daunted by the prospect of working in a drop-in service, as I have always been based in structural roles, and learning all the different types of services that were out there to support young people and their various needs. I spent the first couple of weeks getting my head round the paperwork involved in The Link, meeting the number of young people coming through the door and the different types of needs young people may present with.
I got into the swing of things and what I found fascinating is that some of the young people who come into the drop-in may only come in once, maybe to print one thing or use the phone, and you may never see them again or you may have a young person come in who has a complex variety of needs that you may find yourself working with for nearly a year!!! But the progress you see in that young person and being part of their journey is an amazing experience. It is always nice to when young people pop back into The Link to let us know how they are getting on.
Working at The Link has made me realise what a great service it is. We treat each young person as an individual and will tailor our approach according to their needs. Within The Link team we all have our own experiences and skills that we bring to the table and that is one of the many reasons that makes it such a great team to work in, and some of the young people we meet are a true inspiration.
This year it was so nice to hear that The Link had been nominated for Best Community Project at the Believe in Gloucester Awards. We had been nominated for all of the work we have been doing with young people, especially those who were not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Although we didn’t win it was nice to be recognised for all the hard work the team at The Link had done over the year.
No day is the same at The Link and it always keeps you on your toes. It has been a long learning experience, which is still ongoing, but it has also been one of the most rewarding and I hope I will get to continue to do so for as long as possible.
Caroline Bowden Supporting ViParent’s
15 July 2015
It’s been over a year since talks started with the teenage midwife at Gloucester Royal Hospital about the ways in which we could work in partnership to increase the services available to young parents and parents to be in Gloucester.
Last week ViParent’s (ViPs) and The Link welcomed Caroline Bowden, a community mid-wife who will be supporting the ViP’s regular session by providing ante-natal check-up appointments. In addition this also means that the group benefit by having a medical professional on site should they want to ask any questions or get advice.
Caroline, qualified as a midwife in 2007 and has worked in both Cheltenham and Gloucester hospital and has moved to work out in the community a year ago, referring to this new partnership Caroline said “in my experience young parents prefer to be seen in a setting that includes just their age group, hence introducing a drop in clinic at The Link.”
So with the partnership in place it meant The Link team had some work to do to prepare a room that was suitable and equipped to offer this service. Caroline advised it was essential the room had a sink and with no plumbers amongst us it was a call to the landlord to help with ripping out the old and in with the new. The new included new flooring, sink, examination couch, blinds, chairs and numerous coats of paint to try and cover the black paint inherited from when The Link was a tattoo shop!
Now the room is a perfect and clean space that is welcoming to those that will be using it and a functional place for Caroline to work from. Both The Link team, ViParents and Caroline are looking forward to welcoming young parents through its (newly painted!!) doors and then later down the line meeting the new babies who were previously tucked up and snug in their mummies tummies.
Gemma Phillis on her first PTT
8 July 2015
I could not have asked for a better experience of my first team. Every single young person had a personal journey of development and have gone on to a new brighter future. Being a part of this team’s story means a lot to me and being able to watch them grow has been an honour.
A highlight for me as their team leader, was facilitating them through their community project phase. The group planned and organised the fundraising aspect, in which they cycled the distance from Gloucester to Devon on static bikes in the local shopping centre as well as bag packing at the local supermarket and raised over £200. The energy they brought to this challenge was infectious and helped carry us through!
They viewed 5 potential projects. But felt immediate passion for the Stonham Housing project, they felt the services the housing group provide are invaluable and really felt the staff worked very hard and deserved something to brighten their day. They were given complete creative freedom to redesign the garden of one of the houses that currently supported 13 adults recovering from addictions, mental illnesses and homelessness. They talked to external organisations and received donations such as a garden bench and 3 tonnes of bark, which was an incredible display of their dedication to the cause. The group had relentless energy throughout the project and were truly inspiring.
This commitment followed through to the rest of the programme and I could not be prouder of the support they showed each other. I wish them all the best on their new ventures, make good choices guys!