My Journey from Healthy Minds Apprentice to Trainee Youth Support Worker

Starting my journey at All Star as a Healthy Minds Apprentice at 17 feels very different from where I am now at 18 as a Trainee Youth Support Worker.

When I first started my apprenticeship, I didn't have much confidence in myself. I was going through a lot personally and wasn't always sure whether I would be able to stay in the role or continue developing. Looking back now, I can see just how much I have changed.

Over the last year, I have grown in confidence, developed my communication skills, built strong relationships with young people and professionals, and discovered much more about the type of work I want to do in the future.

My apprenticeship was the beginning of my journey into youth work. My trainee role now feels like the next step in that journey.

What did I learn as a Healthy Minds Apprentice?

My Healthy Minds Apprenticeship gave me a strong foundation for the work I am doing now.

A big part of my role was around youth voice, co-production, advocacy and partnership working. I had opportunities to work alongside different organisations and professionals, attend groups and consultations, and help make sure young people's voices were heard.

I learned the importance of listening to young people rather than making assumptions about what they need. I also developed my understanding of mental health, SEND, equality, diversity and inclusion, and how important it is to create opportunities for young people to have a say in the services and decisions that affect them.

I also gained experience delivering sessions, supporting campaigns and events, working with different groups of young people and communicating with professionals.

These experiences have given me skills that I can now take into my trainee role.

What's different about my role now?

One of the biggest differences is the amount of ownership and autonomy I have.

As a Healthy Minds Apprentice, I was learning about youth work, developing my confidence and gaining experience through different placements and projects. Now, as a Trainee Youth Support Worker, I am becoming much more directly involved in the day-to-day delivery of youth work.

I have more responsibility and I am trusted to use my own initiative, bring forward ideas and contribute to the development of projects.

At the moment, I am getting involved in different areas of All Star, including:

• Supporting B-Safe and the six-week programme delivered in schools.

• Supporting the new Healthy Minds Apprentices with KCU delivery in schools.

• Working across two toddler groups.

• Supporting Zen Den.

• Working at the youth club.

• Developing activities and ideas to make projects more engaging.

• Building relationships with young people and families.

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Having this variety is something I really enjoy because every project gives me a different opportunity to learn.

Working with toddlers is different from working with young people at the youth club. Supporting B-Safe is different from delivering KCU in schools, and supporting the new apprentices gives me a different type of responsibility again.

I am learning how to adapt my communication, respond to different needs, think on my feet and understand that not every session or group will be the same.

From advocating for young people to directly supporting them

One of the biggest changes in my role is how much more direct interaction I now have with young people.

During my apprenticeship, I was often working alongside organisations and professionals through co-production, youth voice and advocacy. That experience was incredibly valuable because it helped me understand the bigger picture of youth work and the importance of influencing services.

Now I have more opportunities to put that learning into practice.

I am getting to know young people, understanding their interests and needs, building rapport and learning how to create spaces where they feel comfortable and supported.

I have started to realise that youth work isn't just about delivering an activity. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is listen.

A young person might come into a group because they want to take part in an activity, but they might also need somewhere safe to talk, someone who will listen to them or simply somewhere they can be themselves. Building relationships takes time. I have learned that being consistent, approachable and genuine is important, and that you cannot expect every young person to immediately open up. I want young people to feel that when they come into an All Star space, they are welcomed, included and listened to.

Learning to take more initiative

Another big change is that I am becoming more confident in taking initiative.

During my apprenticeship, I was learning how All Star worked, how different projects were delivered and how to work effectively with different teams and organisations.

Now I am starting to feel more comfortable coming forward with my own ideas and thinking about what a project or session might need. I am learning that being a youth support worker isn't just about turning up and delivering an activity. There is a lot that happens behind the scenes. It's about thinking about what young people might enjoy, what they need, how a session could be improved and how we can make sure everyone feels included.

I want to continue developing this because one of my longer-term goals is to be able to take the lead on my own projects.

Supporting the new Healthy Minds Apprentices

Something I am particularly proud of in my new role is having the opportunity to support the new Healthy Minds Apprentices.

It feels strange in a good way to think that I was in their position not that long ago. I remember what it was like starting at All Star, learning how everything worked, building my confidence and figuring out what I wanted to get from the apprenticeship.

Now I can support them with KCU delivery in schools and share some of the things I have learned. I don't see myself as someone who knows everything because I am still learning too. Instead, I want to be someone they can approach, ask questions and learn from.

Being able to support the new apprentices has also made me realise how much I have progressed. A year ago, I was the apprentice learning from other people. Now I am starting to become someone who can support others.

Continuing to use my lived experience

My lived experience has always been an important part of my journey.

During my Healthy Minds Apprenticeship, I was able to use my experiences to help me understand some of the challenges young people can face, particularly around mental health and adversity. I don't see this as something that stops being relevant now that my apprenticeship has finished. Instead, it continues to shape the type of youth worker I want to become. I know what it can feel like to struggle, feel unsure of yourself and need somebody who listens. Because of this, I want to use my experiences positively when working alongside young people who may be going through difficult situations themselves.

At the same time, I understand that every young person's experience is different. My role isn't to assume I know what somebody is going through. It is to listen, understand and support them in the way that works for them.

Finding my confidence and my voice

One of the biggest things I am proud of is how much my confidence has changed.

When I started my apprenticeship at 17, I wasn't very confident in myself. There were times when I wasn't sure whether I would be able to continue because of everything happening in my life at the time.

Now, at 18, I feel much stronger in myself and in the way I work.

I have pushed myself to speak in front of groups, deliver sessions, meet new people, build relationships with young people and professionals, contribute ideas and put myself forward for opportunities.

Public speaking is something I am particularly proud of because it is something I never thought I would become comfortable with.

I have learned that confidence doesn't mean never feeling nervous. Sometimes it means feeling nervous and doing it anyway.

That is something I want to continue carrying forward into my trainee role.

Developing new skills

Progression for me isn't just about having a new job title. It is about continuing to learn, trying new things and building a wider range of skills that I can use in my work.

One area I want to reconnect with is music.

Music has always been something I enjoy and a way for me to express myself. As I move further into youth work, I would like to build my confidence in this area again and learn some DJing skills. When the Youth in Mind sessions start, having music and DJing as another skill could give me a different way to engage young people and create activities around something I genuinely enjoy. I want to keep discovering new skills that I can bring into youth work rather than limiting myself to what I already know.

What I want to achieve next

Although I am proud of how far I have come, I don't want to stop developing.

My next challenge is to gradually take on more responsibility and become more confident in planning and delivering my own sessions.

I want to contribute more to the development of projects, continue building my knowledge around mental health, SEND, safeguarding and youth work, and eventually have the confidence to lead a project from beginning to end.

I know I still have a lot to learn, and there will be things I find difficult. But I have learned from my apprenticeship that asking for help doesn't mean I am not capable. It is part of learning and developing.

My longer-term goal is to build a career in this field and continue progressing within All Star and the wider youth work sector. I would eventually like to take the lead on my own projects and become someone who can make a positive difference to the young people I work with.

Looking back and looking forward

When I look back at the 17-year-old who first walked through the doors at All Star, I don't think she would have expected to be where I am now.

I have gone from being an apprentice who was still finding her confidence to becoming a trainee who is starting to take more ownership of her work and think seriously about her future in youth work.

My apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to find my voice. My trainee role is giving me the opportunity to use it.

I am taking everything I learned with me, but I am also becoming more independent, taking on more responsibility and developing into the youth worker I want to become.

I am still learning. I still have things I want to improve. But I now have a much clearer idea of where I want to go.

I want to continue building relationships with young people, developing my skills, taking on new opportunities and eventually leading projects of my own.

I started this journey unsure of what I could achieve. Now, I am excited to see how far I can take it.