As part of Hertfordshire FA Youth Council, I was invited to be a part of the South East Regional call, which was hosted by Chair (Maddy) and vice chair (Sofia) of Hertfordshire Youth Council. Those who attended were youth council members from the FA National Youth Council, Sussex FA, London FA, Essex FA, Berks & Bucks FA and Hampshire FA.
To start the call, we had an ice breaker task, so we were able to get to know each other before the call developed and we got to hear about what the other youth councils have achieved. For the icebreaker, created by Maddy and Sofia, we had a series of questions that we could pick from a series of questions. My chosen questions were what is my go-to karaoke song and where do I find inspiration?
My answer to the first question which was my go-to karaoke song and that was Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton. The next question was, where do I find my inspiration? I find my inspiration from helping people develop a skill or teach them something that they may not be able to do, and then watch them achieve that skill. I also get inspiration from helping as many people as possible and giving them the support and skills to develop and grow as a person.
After the icebreaker, we had a brief overview to everything that Herts Youth Council has achieved. A few examples of this would be the team expanding by over double than it was last year despite this only being the second year the youth council has been up and running. A standout task would be some of the team attended a kit aid boxing up. Where 204 boxes were packed, and 7140 items were put into the boxes.
Once Herts had given their introduction, the stage was set for any of the other youth councils to talk about who they are and what they have achieved. A standout for me would be the Essex FA Youth Forum. Despite there being loads of amazing things across the board, I have chosen to highlight their work, because they have teamed up with the charity Anthony Nolan, which save lives through stem cells.
Another stand out moment from the call would be, being introduced to the My Personal Development Compass workbooks. This was another stand out moment for me because these books supply so many life skills and support to help grow as a person not just in football but away from it also. To support with my upcoming projects, I have printed the planning, organising and developing workbook.
Near the end of the call, I was given the opportunity to talk about my role at the Hertfordshire FA Youth Council. My role for this season is the Mental Health and wellbeing champion, as well as supporting the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team. The EDI team and I have teamed up to create a workshop that we are going to deliver to clubs and schools. We have called it get talking. The aim of the workshop is to get everyone talking and to have people understand the importance of looking after your mental health as much it is your physical health. But to also have many fun interactions with each other along the way as the participants learn about themselves and mental health.
