Why Work?

Not a question that can be answered through CV writing support, online job-search guidance, life skills training, or interview preparation alone.
But a question that may be central to building the intrinsic motivation and resilience young people need to engage in a job-search process that can often feel unclear, discouraging, and lacking in feedback. 

I've recently begun the amazing opportunity to work with and shadow Abergele Youth Den, learning more about the support they provide for young people in North Wales. Having the chance to observe their Moving Forward initiative, a project designed to support young people in accessing employment, education, and training opportunities. It was great to observe how the youth workers engaged young people through conversation, group activities and relationship-building, helping to create an atmosphere of trust and psychological safety. 

Given my own interest in supporting young adults towards meaningful, sustainable employment, I found it particularly striking how challenging it seemed for many in the group to identify their values or to imagine future work aspirations. For some, the challenge did not seem to be simply about a lack of knowledge and understanding of where and how to find jobs. It seemed to sit one step earlier, struggling to see what work could mean for them or why it might matter, highlighting the deeper question of ‘Why work?’, which they were struggling to answer at this time.

Looking ahead, I am really interested to see how this support programme continues to explore this question in the sessions and how it is explored further across employment support for young adults in the UK.  
 
A big thank you to Abergele Youth Den and Conwy Council for welcoming me and giving me the opportunity to learn while gaining a first-hand perspective of the current support available to young people in the UK.