Jodie Stirrup, youth development officer, National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs (NFYFC)

- What is your role?

I work with the 22,000 young people who attend our 650 clubs. Along with my colleague, I support clubs to ensure they are running things safely and working to agendas such as Every Child Matters. The clubs are largely in rural areas, but not all members have farming backgrounds. There are things like stock-rearing competitions, but you could also find groups doing beauty sessions.

- How did you get involved?

I started in statutory youth work in an urban area and then moved to the Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs. I was working as an outreach worker in the rural areas of Solihull where I came into contact with a young farmers' group. At that time I was doing my MA, which looked at the difficulties faced by rural young people, and decided I wanted to get more involved. I was seconded to NFYFC and it became a full-time job in April.

- Do rural young people face particular issues?

A lot of young people go to urban mainstream schools, but may face challenges with transport, internet connections and housing as they get older, and find themselves priced out of where they live. For some young people, the NFYFC can be the only thing they do. The clubs are run by and for members, and people tend to remain involved throughout their lives.

- What challenges do you face?

Making sure all members get the message about why youth club initiatives are so important. Often they're already doing the right things, but when it comes to funding, they have to be able to demonstrate that they are. Young farmers' groups can be isolated from the mainstream.

- How do you make a difference?

I am working closely with members to ensure we push forward in areas such as sexual health, drugs and alcohol awareness. This has been a big area in the past few years and there can be resistance among communities. My approach is to focus on relationships and make sure that we talk about self-esteem.