Darren Curtis
There were many highlights to my year at Maynooth. My cohort had vast experience of youth and community work already and we were able to learn from each other as well as being taught and mentored by the excellent staff team. We carried out study visits across Ireland and learnt of the fantastic work carried out on the island. We were encouraged to take more responsibility and were involved in shaping our learning, bringing the group even closer together. One standout highlight was taking part in a trip to Denmark under the Erasmus programme which brought together students from Ireland, Scotland, Denmark and Sweden to discuss youth employment and share our cultures collectively. A fantastic opportunity to learn about youth support in other countries.
Not formally involved with any sports clubs however four of us formed our own Pitch & Putt society on a course close to the Uni and enjoyed many a relaxing round during the year!
The sense of history and rich learning culture. The approach by staff to encourage and motivate us as a smaller group, the genuine interest taken in us as potential practitioners in our chosen field.
To have the confidence in what I do for my job, to always try to learn and understand where those with whom we work are "at", to make sure there is always a fun aspect to learning, to celebrate diversity and to support your peers. Also to look further afield in order to maximise my learning.
Do it: it's a unique setting, beautiful surroundings and relaxed atmosphere while producing highly skilled graduates.
My first job was with a youth organisation with whom I carried out my second placement at Maynooth, a cross community project bringing young people on residentials and exploring diversity, difference and common issues. I then worked as a youth worker at the NI Youth Forum for five years during the time of the Good Friday Agreement and ensured that the voices of young people were heard at the time in Stormont.
I decided to widen my experience after turning 30 to work as a community development worker with an older peoples' partnership in Belfast which addressed loneliness and social isolation, also carrying out cross community work. I enjoyed partnership working so became a Community Safety Partnership manager for three years in Greater Belfast then decided suddenly I wanted to live in Liverpool, so got myself a job with a drug and alcohol treatment charity as Youth Participation Officer for the North of England, ensuring young people involved with the service had an input in how it was run. Following this I moved to the Midlands in England and became Team Manager with the Participation & Engagement Team in Worcestershire, supporting young people elected to the Youth Cabinet and UK Youth Parliament.
Then the economic crash came along in 2008 and youth services were decimated in England which saw the closure of most statutory youth provision. I decided to return to university and qualified as a Mental Health Nurse, working on an adolescence inpatient unit in Birmingham until I returned home in 2013 to Northern Ireland and worked in a CAMHS inpatient unit and as a Nurse Practitioner with CAMHS with children and young people with a learning disability and mental health issues.
However my passion was always in the field of youth work so I jumped at the chace to work with the CYPSP in 2017, where I have remained since.
Many highlights: ensuring young people were heard as part of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, getting young people involved in training of PSNI recruits, accompanying young people to debate in the House of Commons, the first to do so. I also took great satisfaction in forming an older men's group in Belfast in 2001 which still operates now, as they said it could never be done! International exchanges in Ypres and the Basque Country, and making a positive difference in the lives of young people when they were in need of support and care.
As Locality Development Officer I am responsible for developing and supporting a wide network of childrens, youth and family support organisations in the Southern Trust area in Northern Ireland. This is through six Locality Planning Groups where members share information and support, and agree on actions to improve outcomes for children and young people through partnership working. Priorities include the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people, support for families with children with a disability, support to BAME communities to integrate fully into their new communities in which they live, tackling poverty and accessing family support. This is now the longest time I have been in post and hope to continue for many years. It feels like the culmination of all my previous experience and methods of working.
The most interesting is the range of services and organisations working in this field, and trying to link them further to improve partnership working. The creativity in the voluntary and community sector is fantastic in addressing really critical issues with their children, young people and families. The potential for further work based on taking positive risk and building on the idewas crated by children and young people.
Most challenging is the lack of investment into early intervention services which means support is limited to a higher threshold of need. Some services have a more positive approach to partnership working than others and in most other jobs, some people are happier to talk than to act!
I heard of the organisation in my previous job through carrying out a joint project, read about them on their website and thought how lucky my predecessor was in this role. Four months later the job became vacant and the rest is history!
Get experience as early as possible through a job or voluntary experience in this field which can add to your CV and also give you an insight of career prospects. Build your networks in this way and don't be afraid to ask questions and take advice. Don't worry if you are still unsure of what you would like to do but make sure to visit the careers advisor to explore possibilities. Be positive and engage in interviews but listen to what they ask. Be prepared to work hard for less monetary reward than others, but make sure you get rewarded by your achievements. Be prepared to apply for a lot of jobs and don't get downhearted by knockbacks - we all have had them.