Hi, I’m Caroline and I am delighted to have joined CYZ in June 2022. I feel really proud to have joined the team and am looking forward to meeting our members, parents/carers, Patrons, supporters and partners over the weeks and months to come. I started my career as a youth and community worker and know and value the role youth workers and access to high-quality youth provision can have. I’m looking forward to being part of creating these opportunities with and for young people in Carlisle.
Prior to joining CYZ, I was working for UNICEF UK where I was a Programme Manager (covering the North of England and Scotland) for the Child-Friendly Cities and Communities programme, and prior to that had been co-leading a Social Enterprise called Boingboing. Both these organisations had a rights and social justice focus and this is something which is important to me and my work. I am keen to think about and work with others in order for CYZ to play our part in tackling things that are unfair in our society and also reducing barriers for people when things are tough.
Youth work is all about learning, trying new things, and developing ourselves and this is something I value for myself too. Alongside lots of opportunities to learn from others, I have completed formal qualifications in both Youth and Community Development Work (Graduate Diploma) and Social Work (MA). Through these qualifications, I gained experience of working with young people in a wide range of settings, for example in safeguarding assessment roles, undertaking detached and outreach youth work across rural communities, delivering a Young Carers service, facilitating youth work in a ‘Young Offenders Institution’ and running Young Leader programmes and Peer Education.
I look forward to seeing how this knowledge and experience can contribute to our work here at CYZ and I have already had some great chats with young people and the team about their ideas for our development. Exciting times ahead!
