I support and co-ordinate Youth Voice Shetland, which is a representative body for 13- to 25-year-olds in Shetland. I organise meetings and help young people take issues forward by helping them with skills such as speaking in public and making presentations, which helps build their confidence.
I mainly support the Youth Voice executive, which is a smaller group of young people and councillors who decide on the issues that they will present to decision-makers. I also offer support to members of the Scottish Youth Parliament, plus other groups.
How did you get into this? I was part of Youth Voice, then I was offered this job to take forward the work I'd been doing.
What next? I'm travelling to Australia for six months, where I'll be working in a school. I'd like to work with young people as a long-term career. After Australia, I'll decide which part of the sector to work in. I'd like to come back to Shetland, because it's a really good place for youth work.
Why is your work important? The feedback from Youth Voice members is that they really do prefer another young person supporting them. And I know a lot of them really well, which helps. It's great when you see that young people have made a difference, especially through initiatives such as the national youth entitlement card, which gives transport concessions.
What challenges do youth workers face in remote islands such as Shetland? The main thing is transport. It's great when you get young people together, but getting them together in the first place is the hard part. The two members of the Scottish Youth Parliament have to travel down to the mainland twice a year and that costs quite a lot.
