My brother introduced me to Portsea Youth Club when I was 12. I went on the tall ships as part of the club's activities, which was a life-changing experience. I realised I wanted to give something back to the community, so I started volunteering at the club when I was 16 and set up a young women's group. We arranged pamper nights, residentials and discussions about drugs. I completed 500 hours of volunteering and earned a Millennium Volunteers certificate. It inspired me to learn more about youth work so I'm taking a Youth and Community Work degree at the University of Chichester.
Portsea recently applied to Portsmouth Council for funding and received £7,000 to redesign our kitchen. We turned it into a coffee bar and it's used for cooking and healthy eating sessions. The young women's group put forward the initial application that secured the funding.
