Where did the time go?

It has been over 6 months! Where did the time go? It hardly seems like 5 minutes since I left Carmarthenshire Youth Support Service to become a secondee at the Leadership Academy. Initially everything felt a bit of a blur. It is such a different role to a busy school environment. I am happy to say though, that those feelings of “what am I doing” have gone and representing the youth work sector here within the Leadership Academy is gaining respect and momentum as we reach out across the networks.

I have met so many new people, and what a great experience this opportunity is proving to be. Not only am I focusing on youth work leadership, leader well-being and development, but I am immersed in a programme of professional learning for myself. Coaching, facilitation, mental health first aid, innovation workshops, webinars, endorsement panels and quality assurance, the list is endless. I can feel myself changing and growing in confidence in my new arena.

My secondment is to continue until March 2022 – it is a cause for celebration! The Leadership Academy is committed to supporting our leaders in informal education and post-16 and with this extension, I can get to know more of our colleagues in post-16 as well as youth work. I took this secondment, because I had become too comfortable in my old role and needed a challenge, to step outside of my comfort zone, and this is exactly what it is. Since October 2020, my role has been 100% working from home and have been enjoying this new way of working, “Zooming” across the country, but I am so excited to meet my virtual Leadership Academy team for real very soon!

Ann Slater, Leadership Development and Quality Assurance Adviser – Youth and Post-16