Meet our role models

Serena
Will
Mark & Jess
Amy, Louisa & Tiffany
Kirsty, James & Jordan

...and download their posters

        
click on the images above to download the posters. Posters are in PDF format.

Serena

Serena is from Rugeley and is a full time carer for her mum.

“My mum has a range of varying disabilities and for over 6 years I have been caring for her full time. I'm currently at school and in-between caring for my mum and doing work for my GCSEs I also help to look after my younger sister.

“When I do have the odd bit of spare time I try my best to champion the work of young carers. I think it’s really important that people know there are lots of other young people out there like me who spend a lot of their time caring for others part time or full time. I am also a member of my local cadets which I really enjoy as it gives me the chance to meet new people and help the community.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to care for my mum but because you spend a large proportion of your time caring, at times it can be a bit lonely and tiring which is why I want to help raise awareness about young carers in Staffordshire and help others get the support they need. I recently spoke at conference on behalf of the young carers association in an effort to kick start this. It's so important that young carers get time for themselves too.

“After I finish school I'm hoping to go to University to continue my studies. I will hopefully be able to do this once my sister is a bit older so she can look after herself and can also start helping me to look after mum.”

Check the label….

“In the past, like most young people, my mates and I have had people judge us because of the way I look, calling us names like ‘chav’ or ‘ASBO’ or labelling me just because of what im wearing or because I'm hanging out with my mates.

“This annoys me because 9 times out of 10 people like me aren’t causing anti-social behaviour and do try their best to contribute something valuable to society.

“It really frustrates me when occasionally some young people do act irresponsibly and cause trouble because they are just living up to the stereotype then.

“I do understand how some older people can find some young people intimidating but I also think that they should remember that they were young once too. Mods, rockers, teddy boys and punks! I imagine they were told they were a bit intimidating and were blamed for causing trouble too. They were no different really."

Want to find out more about young carers in Staffordshire? Do you think you may be a young carer yourself?

Staffordshire Young Carers Homepage

Will

Will is from Tamworth and is an elite gymnast.

“When I was very young I was taken along to a tumble tots session where my love for gymnastics began. Ever since then I have been training to become the best in my field.

I'm currently 17 years old and studying for 4 A levels in Maths, Economics, Physics and PE at Woodhouse Business and Enterprise College and have to fit my studies around my training. Because I am classed as an ‘elite gymnast’ in my sport, I am given a day off school in the week to train but it does mean I have to work extra hard to still get the grades at school.

“I am based at Hinckley Gymnastics Club but also train at Loughborough University, Leicester and Lilleshall and have an intensive 22-hour a week training programme. My main strengths are on the floor, rings and pommel horse.  I compete in regular national competitions and have recently won medals for rings and the pommel horse as well as coming third in the all around competition at the British Championships. I’m hoping that my training will pay off and that I can meet the high standards needed for the Commonwealth Games, European and World Championships and the Olympics in either 2012 or 2016.

“My life is pretty busy with training and study but I do get to see my mates and have a bit of time to relax and chill out.”

Check the label….

“I think that young people do get stereotyped as trouble makers all too often. I spend a lot of time working hard to do well in what I do but even I have been judged before.

“I appreciate that not all adults typecast us and I even appreciate that not all young people are well behaved but I think it is important that adults don’t label us under one negative category. Most teenagers like me are just normal people who want to lead normal lives.”

Have you been inspired by Will? Find out more at

http://www.youfind.me.uk/directory/frontpage.aspx

Amy, Louisa and Tiffany

Amy, Louisa and Tiffany attend Nether Stowe Youth Centre and are part of group that comes together to help young women. They all go to Friary High School in Lichfield where we they are all studying for their GCSE’s.

Amy

“We formed the girls group on Tuesdays to try and support girls in the area to be more confident, proud and respectful. We get involved in some really positive activities such as running the non-alcoholic cocktail bar, trips out, nail art and sporting activities. We support each other to take part in new activities and really get the most out of what is on offer and try and give back something back to the community when we can.”

Louisa

“The girls group recently finished a project which aimed to challenge stereotypes and show people that they shouldn’t judge girls by the way they look. We got all the girls that appear as so-called chavs and all to girls that appear as so-called geeks to swap looks. The swapped looks were photographed and we then used the exercise to see how we are judged. It is amazing how differently you get treated just because of what you look like. I found this one project a really worthwhile experience because it really helped me to look at my own thoughts around myself, try to improve the way I think and look at how I treat others more fairly for who they are rather than how they look.”

Tiffany

“The group also helps each person who attends to gain confidence, promote positive images of young women and get involved in positive activities that help the community. We try to make sure that the group helps people to learn valuable social skills in a really fun and inventive way.”

Check the Label…

“As you can see one of our main roles at Nether Stowe Centre is to try and get involved in as many positive activities as possible. Promoting our positive results from projects can sometimes be a bit of battle as young people are often portrayed in a bad light in the media.

“If we hang out with our mates, it can be classed as anti-social behaviour but all we are doing is chatting and having fun like anyone else.

“Most of the time the people that cause real trouble are not “young people hanging around” it is proper criminals who upset people’s lives.

“If you wear make-up and gold jewellery you are a “chav”, if you wear glasses you are a “geek” and if you wear a hooded top and trackies you are a “chav”, young people can’t win sometimes! I hope that by reading this some people may think twice before they dismiss young people. We aren’t all bad…honest!”

Nether Stowe Youth Centre is run by youth workers from Staffordshire Young People’s Service. Find out more about the work they do here

SYPS Homepage on Staffordshire Web

Jessica and Mark

Jessica
Jess works for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service as a Community Fire Safety Education and Intervention Coordinator.

“I have always wanted to be in a job where I can strive to help others get the best from their own skills. I finished university in 2008 with a degree in Psychology and then joined the Fire Service after 2 months of travelling.

“The role involves a lot of participation with the community, but one of the most rewarding parts of my job is coordinating the Student Firefighter Scheme in Stafford.

“The scheme provides young people who may be lacking in self-esteem and confidence, or may even be disillusioned with the education system, with an opportunity to take part in an alternative learning experience outside the school environment. The course combines practical scenario training with discussion and theory workshops. The students learn many new basic Fire and Rescue skills, including firefighting techniques, road traffic collision management, breathing apparatus and casualty care, as well as participating in classroom sessions on hoax calls, arson and anti-social behaviour. If the students complete the 12 week course, they receive a BTEC in Fire and Rescue Services in the Community.

“It is really satisfying to see these young people progress through the course, and not only learn the skills of the fire service, but also leadership, teamwork, communication and self belief.”

Check the label

“I meet many young people every day in my role and feel that a lot of the time they are stereotyped unfairly. Just because a group of young people are hanging around together, does not necessarily mean they are up to no good.

“Being young myself, I know what it is like to be unduly stereotyped and it can be quite destructive. If young people are constantly told they are up to no good, one of these days they might fulfil this prophecy. If more could be done to improve areas for the youth of today to socialise, whether by putting on more youth clubs, or having designated areas for them to meet and hang out, we may find that actually many of our young people just want to be able enjoy themselves sensibly.”

Want to know more about how young people contribute to the emergency services? Go to

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service Homepage

Inspired by Jess and Mark’s careers but unsure about what career path is best for you? Go to

Staffordshire Connexions Homepage

Mark
Mark is a Police Community Support Officer in Stafford.

“I joined Staffordshire police over a year ago as a police community support officer.

“The role is interesting and varied with each day bringing new challenges.

“My role involves conducting hi visibility patrol, increasing public safety and dealing with minor crime.

“I feel that due to my age I have an advantage when speaking and dealing with young people. I can relate and have a better understanding of certain circumstances. I am still stereotyped from time to time myself.

“I applied for Staffordshire police because I feel I have certain qualities to help deter young people from offending and potentially entering the criminal justice system later on in life.”  

Check the label

“I meet many young people every day in my role and listen to many different opinions about why they believe they are stereotyped.

“Personally I feel that a small minority tend to have an impact on the wider community which in time has created labels such as ‘chavs’ and ‘hoodies’, painting a negative picture of young people in today’s society. A lot of the time we get called to jobs of disturbance from young people but most of the time they are just in groups chatting.”
 

Want to know more about how young people contribute to the emergency services? Go to 

Staffordshire Police Homepage

Jordan, Kirsty, James & Jordan

Jordan, Kirsty, James and Jordan are all from Cannock and are members of Actionhaus Theatre Company.

“We go to Cannock Chase High School in Cannock and joined Actionhaus Theatre Group in July 2009. The theatre group aims to respond to immediate issues within the community in an effort to demonstrate how young people can take responsibility for shaping a positive future.

“Our Park Strife project with Cannock Chase District Council was all about the issue of anti-social behaviour and the message communicates the need for both young and older people to work together in enabling a safe and respected public space such as Cannock Park.”

Check the Label…

“It is hard for young people these days. After all, negative stories about young people mean the papers don’t always give the true story and because of this we all get a bad press. There are trouble makers in every walk of life but it’s always the minority”.


Click here to find out more about the fantastic activities that young people are involved in across the country.