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Josie Downing - Senior Youth Support Worker

I work as a Senior Youth Support worker for North Ely youth centre in the West of Cardiff. I first got into youth club through volunteering in a provision for young people with additional needs. I loved it and went on to complete my youth & community work degree to become a professionally qualified youth worker.

My work in North Ely includes managing a team of part time youth workers who work three nights a week in our evening open access provision for young people. I lead the nights, as well as additional projects and provisions. We love trying new things and working with the young people to develop exciting projects. Some things we have coming up are our annual youth exchange with young people from Germany, our summer programme of activities, and supporting year 6 young people to transition into secondary school. No two days are the same in this role. Today, I’m working on funding bids, our summer programme and a young person’s consultation. Last week, I was out everyday running pop up youth clubs in local parks. The work is exciting and diverse.

Our provision welcomes over 100 young people a week from the local community. They take part in music production, art, sport, games, well-being work, cooking, and anything else they are interested in and we can facilitate, we will give it a go! The youth centre provides a lifeline for many young people in the local area, giving them a place to go, someone to talk to and an opportunity to take part in informal education based on their needs. Young people are currently planning their summer programme of activities. They are also planning community projects, to improve the local area and show their talents, to show how strong a community they live in.

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Tom Mace - Youth Support Worker

I am a youth support worker in North Ely youth Centre which is based in West Cardiff. My role is to provide meaningful activities for young people during the evening youth club provision. I got into youth work through the youth centre, as I was working in schools and wanted a new challenge that would be different every day. From working the evenings in North Ely, I left my role in high schools and applied to work full time with the service.

The provision I work in focuses on offering young people in Caerau and Ely a safe space to be able to express themselves and socialise, while having the opportunity to learn, develop, and try new experiences which include interventions and excursions. I have been involved in our Duke of Edinburgh courses, where we worked with young people to complete their bronze and silver award. I have also worked in the outreach team, where we spoke with young people in the local area in the streets to discuss what support is available to them and signpost to relevant organisations if needed. We are currently in partnership with the local leisure centre to offer young people weekly sports sessions as part of our community engagement program.

Our provision offers a variety of opportunities to young people, such as sound progression which not only teaches young people how to use recording equipment, but also gives them a platform to create their own music that they can take home. We also do cooking, wellbeing, sports, digital literacy, gaming amongst many other meaningful activities.

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Hana Dibachi - Corporate Apprentice

I’m Hana! I’m an apprentice youth worker with the digital team of Cardiff Youth Service, and I’m studying my level 2 and 3. My aim is to become a qualified youth worker whilst actively working in youth work settings. Observing, taking notes, and learning first-hand how youth work is done is how I see how these amazing relationships are built up with young people to their benefit. I get to see the many unique styles of youth work: I see how each individual worker handles things in a unique and professional way firsthand, and take note of how it works with different young people!

My youth worker notified me of this job opening at Cardiff Youth Service! I was a young person that was on her caseload, she helped me a lot with my problems and she along with my mum convinced me to apply! I was incredibly happy to, as I thought it would be a suitable time to push myself even further in my journey!

Being a young person who accessed support i am to relate to young people’s experiences and what it's like to have a variety of problems that can be common in young people. I can easily empathise with other young people further into my role.

I got accepted to be interviewed and an hour or two after my interview I got a call saying I had been accepted into this amazing position I am in now!

The digital team is an absolutely vital provision in Cardiff Youth Service. The Cardiff Youth Service discord is an amazing example of what the digital team has put in place for young people! It's a digital youth club! With a variety of category channels where many young people can talk and post about said topics inside of these channels and converse with both youth workers, mods, and other young people inside the server! With voice calls and events that often take place, the Cardiff Youth Service Discord is an active server for all the young people inside to use! It's highly moderated and Youth Workers are always present in chats to speak to young people and ensure it is a safe space. It can also be a lot easier for young people to just type out how they are feeling as well! The digital team also contributes so much to the Cardiff Youth Service socials which are so beneficial to get the word of the youth service out there and to post about events, updates, times of centre openings, amazingly edited videos of events, podcasts, and interviews which young people can very easily access!

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Darryl Payne - Youth Support Worker

I am a senior youth support worker based in Splott. I got into youth work 6 years ago. My previous job was an activity instructor for an outdoor company. We would regularly get youth groups and groups from pupil referral units visit the centre to do activities and I very quickly built up a good relationship with the staff and young people. As I enjoyed working with young people who sometimes present challenging behaviour, I would often be requested by the groups to be the instructor.

When a job came up within the youth service I was asked if I wanted to apply for it and retrain to be a youth worker. This excited me as when I was growing up youth workers were an important part of my teenage life and going to youth clubs was brilliant. I started just before Christmas and have enjoyed my time ever since.

The provision I work in is Eastmoors youth centre in Splott which works with young people from the S.T.A.R community which is Splott, Tremorfa, Adamsdown and Roath. Part of my role is to manage the evening open access provisions and try to grow the youth offer for young people in the area. I have recently built up a good relationship with a local high school and have been running a Virtual Reality decisions programme based around gangs which the school and young people involved in the project have enjoyed. The plan for the future is to continue to build partners in the area to be able to offer more for young people. The school partnership is also key and they have asked us if we could run some more informal Personal, Social Health Education subjects for groups of young people.

Young people who access Eastmoors youth centre know that it is a safe space for them and there is always someone to listen and offer support. We pride ourselves on being able to offer young people this safe space and in the winter months offer young people a hot drink and food to help with the cost of living crisis. Some of our year 11 students have recently been attending the centre to do revision sessions in preparation for their exams and have found this really helpful.

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Sameera Newton - Youth Mentor

My journey in Youth Work started when I was travelling the world; I never really knew what I wanted to do growing up, I tried so many different opportunities after leaving school, from college courses to jobs to apprenticeships, and whilst I was gaining qualifications and earning money, I never loved any of it. Nothing made me want to get out of bed or gave me motivation.

Unfortunately, I had a difficult childhood; experiencing a range of adverse childhood experiences. Despite being under a mental health service with weekly pre-booked sessions, nothing worked. What I really needed was someone to speak to, a safe space to go and a friendly and familiar face - a youth worker!

I searched hours on end for youth work jobs and qualifications, completing interviews on Teams and after successfully gaining a space on a Youth and Community Work degree. I completed over 1000 hours of volunteering at a youth club, gained a Level 2 in Youth Work qualification, worked in a variety of different youth work roles. I went on to achieve First Class Honours in Youth and Community Work.

I joined the Post 16 Team with Cardiff Youth Service as a new challenge. The Post 16 Mentor role supports young people aged 16-25 years old who are disengaged in society to become reengaged; supporting young people to explore employment, education, training and volunteering opportunities through 1:1 and group work sessions in their own community, we work with young people where they are at and provide a person-centred approach to help recognise individual abilities, develop young people’s wellbeing to enable them to become independent, and provide a safe space for young people to reach their own goals whilst helping to remove any barriers they face.

There is no day the same for a Post 16 Youth Mentor; each young person is different and therefore, so is each day. From home visits to bespoke projects, to supporting young people to visit provisions, wellbeing sessions to increase confidence, to connecting with the wider youth service opportunities; we pride ourselves in transforming young people’s action plans into successful outcomes.

Measuring the impact the provision has on young people can be quite a challenge; young people will often thank you for the support and check in with their mentors to update how well things are going for them, however case studies are what really capture their journeys best. The Post 16 Team work with some of the hardest to reach young people across the city, often building relationships with young people who have not left their homes in months or even years to support them into reengaging with the community; the impact of often goes unnoticed unless a young person or parent/guardian tells their story.

The increasing demand for the service has seen the team grow immensely in recent years and the Post 16 team continue to work hard to provide a high quality service to young people, ensuring their voices are heard throughout and keeping young people at the heart of what we do.

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Candice Dyer - Senior Youth Officer

I am currently a senior youth officer within the Active involvement team. I manage a team of youth workers and we work with wider youth services and marginalised groups to educate young people about children’s rights. We also give young people more opportunities to have a voice. Within my team I have the Mind-hub coordinator that works with young people around wellbeing, giving information, support, and guidance as well as empowering and upskilling young people. I also manage an apprentice within the team and give opportunities for work experience.

We are a team of 5 that works across a few youth service offices. We deliver workshops to and with young people, educating them around children’s rights and giving them a voice. We ensure young people's voice is valued - This is linked in with the UNCRC article 12 and 13.

I have been a youth worker for 19 years now, when I was 19 years old, I was training in College to become a dance teacher. I became a single mum during this time and realised I needed to look at career opportunities. I applied for a youth work course as I was keen to teach young people dance at this time. During the year I volunteered I realised how well I built up relationships with young people and how much I enjoyed youth work, I then applied to become a part-time youth worker. I really enjoyed seeing young people go along on their life journey and felt sharing my knowledge and skills really benefited young people, from this I have worked in many roles across Cardiff Youth Service, I have also delivered youth work within Cardiff YMCA and Communities First. Before becoming a Senior Youth Officer I worked at into work services with the Bright Futures team mentoring young people.

The team offers a wide variety of programmes and opportunities that include workshops, consultations, young interviewers, Mind hub, an emotional health website LINK, wellbeing projects, accredited courses, youth action projects and so much more!

As a team we take on an outreach and flexible approach to ensure we meet young people where they are and that young people are able to engage in our opportunities and learn at all levels with or without disabilities and barriers to learning, we aim to be inclusive in the work we do with youth work at the heart of our delivery alongside participation and engagement.

An example of this is where we have worked with Deaf young people to create resources to enable other deaf young people to learn about participation and their rights. We also worked with them to tell their story about the barriers they face and they created a film to educate others around deaf culture and awareness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h2jj_HA6UQ&t=6s

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Tyler Cook - LACE Youth Mentor (Looked after Children in Education)

A Day  in the life of a Youth Mentor - Tyler Cook

My career plans were to be a nurse, I had a week placement at the hospital and knew it wasn’t for me, so I needed to find any alternative placement to finish my placement hours at college. The placement I was then allocated to finish my placement hours was in a youth club, and as the saying goes, ‘when you know, you know’. From here I found my passion for working with young people and making a difference, from experiences with the YOS, a semi independent living hostel for 16-18 care leaver and, working in a residential home with four young people then led me on to this role as a LACE youth mentor, experience with young people who have or are involved with children services has benefited me in the job as it’s given me more knowledge and understanding on how to carry out the role. My day to day role as a youth mentor is to

Arrange with school what lesson is best to take the pupils out of that day.

We may update foster carers/Social Workers if there are any concerns/issues.

Do home visits if the pupil isn't attending school.

Support for young people when they leave school

The impact and difference our role has on young people is the consistency we give them. We also empathise with the trauma they have been through. The relationship we build with the young people allows us to build trust, and help and support them to make a difference. We have had past young people on our caseloads that have been at risk of being NEET (Not in employment, education or training) and by working with them with unconditional positive regard, consistency and supporting then individually through something they would like to do helps these young people secure destinations at college, training, or employment. Throughout the entirety of our caseloads we are always aiming to make a difference to our young people and achieve positive outcomes. That's the impact we as LACE youth mentors have on our young people.

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Aeronwy Withers - Digital Youth Support Worker

Day in the life Ron

I’m Ron and I’m a digital youth support worker! I work with the digital team and do a little bit (a lot) of everything! That includes running social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I made what you’re looking at RIGHT NOW!

I spend a lot of time creating content and researching what information to share to help provide young people with new opportunities and important information. It’s also my responsibility to help show off what we do as a service.

When I’m not taking care of our social media platforms, I take care of the website - this includes adding new staff members and events, and developing the existing pages we have. This is to keep them relevant and up to date. This can be especially tough as the back end of our website is tricky to handle. It’s like trying to herd geese, which I have never done but imagine is difficult - unless they are particularly well behaved geese, in which case I shall stipulate that the geese I am herding are wild, wild geese that never stop running.

The best part of any given day is seeing young people. I help run the gaming club on Mondays and Young Creators on Fridays. I’m famous for my Kahoot quizzes, which help bring the gaming club to life! One day I hope to make quizzes for legends, like Beyonce or RuPaul. Talking to young people and engaging with them via our discord platform is the highlight of my role! They inform all the work we do through consultation, and never fail to teach me something or make me laugh and smile. Even if it can be challenging at times, I love my job! Woohoo!

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Kacey Schultz - Digital Youth Work Student

Digital Team Student

I began my youth work journey by attending youth clubs myself from the age of 12. I got involved in participation opportunities such as young inspectors and young interviewers. From this I was able to find out about other youth clubs that were going on in the community. I visited a youth club for young people with disabilities and began volunteering during half term. I was elected to the local youth action group to ensure that young people within the youth club were having their voices listened to by the local councillors. I was then elected to the Vale Youth Forum as a representative of Penarth to share the views of young people on a larger scale.

At 16 I secured a 3-hour contract as a youth worker in my local youth club and after 6 years this turned into a 25-hour contract in various youth work roles across the Vale of Glamorgan. During the 6 years I began year one of university where I helped to deliver DofE with young people as part of my placement. I chose to take a break from youth work but last year, I continued my Youth Work studies at Cardiff Metropolitan and was lucky enough to secure a placement with Cardiff Youth Service and Barnardo's.

My placement with Barnardo's has involved working with young people in schools supporting them in a group environment with their emotional wellbeing. We are an early intervention team working to reduce the counselling list that has doubled since COVID-19. We work alongside young people to help them develop tools to cope with their feelings and emotions.

I am also doing a placement with Cardiff Youth Service. I am working with their Digital Team on their Discord provision for 13 –16-year-olds. Discord is essentially an online youth club, providing online activities for these young people. This varies from online gaming, cooking, drawing or just having chats about their favourite things. We also provide support to young people around their wellbeing and provide them with opportunities to meet-up and access other youth service provisions. Currently, I am supporting a steering group of young people that are 16+ and want to access a similar service for their age group. I have been facilitating consultations to identify the need for this service and have been passing this info on to senior management in hopes that the service will be funded in the near future.

The work I do has an impact on young people that may not have access to youth provisions for various reasons whether it be because of anxiety, location, physical ability or just because they prefer online access. Young people can have a youth worker to speak to at a point they need throughout the day without having to go anywhere. By working with the steering group and facilitating consultations I’ve been able to share their opinions and voices with senior management to ensure that they have access to services that they feel they need. I have built positive relationships with young people where they can trust me and share difficulties that they are facing so that we can work through them together.

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Uwch weithiwr cymorth ieuenctid ydw i yng Nghanolfan ieuenctid Gogledd Elái yng Ngorllewin Caerdydd.  Dechreuais i yn y clwb ieuenctid drwy wirfoddoli mewn darpariaeth i bobl ifanc ag anghenion ychwanegol.  Roeddwn i wrth fy modd ac es ymlaen i gwblhau fy ngradd ieuenctid a gwaith cymunedol i ddod yn weithiwr ieuenctid proffesiynol cymwysedig.

Mae fy ngwaith yng Ngogledd Trelái yn cynnwys rheoli tîm o bedwar gweithiwr ieuenctid rhan amser sy'n gweithio tair noson yr wythnos yn ein darpariaeth gyda’r nos, mynediad agored i bobl ifanc. Fi sy’n arwain y noson, yn ogystal â phrosiectau a darpariaethau ychwanegol. Rydyn ni wrth ein bodd yn rhoi cynnig ar bethau newydd a gweithio gyda'r bobl ifanc i ddatblygu prosiectau cyffrous. Rhai pethau sydd ar y gweill yw ein cyfnewidfa ieuenctid blynyddol gyda phobl ifanc o'r Almaen, ein rhaglen haf o weithgareddau, a rhoi cymorth i bobl ifanc blwyddyn 6 i drosglwyddo i'r ysgol uwchradd. Nid oes unrhyw ddau ddiwrnod yr un fath yn y rôl hon.  Heddiw, dwi'n gweithio ar geisiadau cyllido, ein rhaglen haf ac ymgynghoriad â phobl ifanc. Yr wythnos diwethaf, bues i allan bob dydd yn cynnal sesiynau ieuenctid mewn parciau lleol. Mae'r gwaith yn gyffrous ac yn amrywiol.

Mae ein darpariaeth yn croesawu dros 100 o bobl ifanc yr wythnos o'r gymuned leol.  Maen nhw’n gallu rhoi cynnig ar gynhyrchu cerddoriaeth, celf, chwaraeon, gemau, gwaith lles, coginio, ac unrhyw beth arall y mae ganddyn nhw ddiddordeb ynddo. Os gallwn ni ei gynnig e, mi fyddwn ni! Mae’r ganolfan ieuenctid yn achubiaeth i lawer o bobl ifanc yn yr ardal leol. Mae’n rhoi lle iddyn nhw i fynd, rhywun i siarad â nhw a chyfle i gymryd rhan mewn addysg anffurfiol yn seiliedig ar eu hanghenion. Mae’r bobl ifanc wrthi’n cynllunio eu rhaglen weithgareddau haf. Maen nhw hefyd yn cynllunio prosiectau cymunedol, i wella'r ardal leol a dangos eu doniau, i ddangos pa mor dda yw eu cymuned.

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Gweithiwr cymorth ieuenctid ydw i yng Nghanolfan Ieuenctid Gogledd Elái yng Ngorllewin Caerdydd. Fy rôl i yw darparu gweithgareddau ystyrlon ar gyfer pobl ifanc mewn darpariaeth clwb ieuenctid gyda'r nos. Dechreuais i ym maes gwaith ieuenctid drwy'r ganolfan ieuenctid, oherwydd fy mod i'n gweithio mewn ysgolion ac eisiau her newydd a fyddai'n wahanol bob dydd. O weithio'r nosweithiau yng Ngogledd Trelái, gadewais fy rôl mewn ysgolion uwchradd a gwnes i gais i weithio'n llawn amser gyda'r gwasanaeth.

Mae'r ddarpariaeth rwy'n gweithio ynddi yn canolbwyntio ar roi lle diogel i bobl ifanc yng Nghaerau a Threlái i allu mynegi eu hunain a chymdeithasu, tra'n cael y cyfle i ddysgu, datblygu a rhoi cynnig ar brofiadau newydd sy'n cynnwys ymyriadau a gwibdeithiau. Dwi wedi bod yn rhan o'n cyrsiau Dug Caeredin, lle buon ni’n gweithio gyda phobl ifanc i gyflawni eu gwobrau efydd ac arian. Dw i hefyd wedi gweithio yn y tîm allgymorth, lle buon ni’n siarad â phobl ifanc yn yr ardal leol yn y stryd i drafod pa gymorth sydd ar gael iddyn nhw, ac i’w cyfeirio nhw at sefydliadau perthnasol os oedd angen. Ar hyn o bryd rydyn ni mewn partneriaeth â'r ganolfan hamdden leol i gynnig sesiynau chwaraeon wythnosol i bobl ifanc fel rhan o'n rhaglen ymgysylltu â'r gymuned.

Mae ein darpariaeth yn cynnig amrywiaeth o gyfleoedd i bobl ifanc, megis sesiynau sain sydd nid yn unig yn dysgu pobl ifanc sut i ddefnyddio offer recordio, ond sydd hefyd yn rhoi llwyfan iddyn nhw i greu eu cerddoriaeth eu hunain, a gallan nhw fynd â’r gerddoriaeth adre wedyn. Rydyn ni hefyd yn gwneud coginio, lles, chwaraeon, llythrennedd digidol, gemau fideo, ymhlith llawer o weithgareddau ystyrlon eraill. Gyda'r digwyddiadau diweddar yn ein hardal leol, rydyn ni hefyd wedi bod yn cynnig gofod i bobl ifanc os oes angen. Felly mae pobl ifanc yn gwybod ein bod ni yma i'w helpu gyda beth bynnag sydd ei angen arnyn nhw i brosesu'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd, i siarad am yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd, neu dim ond i ddianc ohono drwy fwynhau'r gweithgareddau sydd ar gael gyda ni.

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Hana ydw i!  Dwi'n brentis gweithiwr ieuenctid gyda thîm digidol Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd, ac rwy'n astudio lefel 2 a 3. Fy nod yw dod yn weithiwr ieuenctid cymwysedig tra’n gweithio mewn lleoliadau gwaith ieuenctid yr un pryd. Drwy arsylwi, cymryd nodiadau, a dysgu i wneud waith ieuenctid yn y fan a’r lle, dwi’n gweld sut mae'r perthnasoedd anhygoel a buddiol hyn yn tyfu gyda phobl ifanc. Dwi'n cael gweld y nifer o arddulliau unigryw o waith ieuenctid:  Dwi'n gweld dros fy hun sut mae pob gweithiwr unigol yn delio gyda phethau mewn ffordd unigryw a phroffesiynol, ac dwi’n sylwi ar sut mae'n gweithio gyda gwahanol bobl ifanc!

Ces i wybod am y cyfle swydd hon gan Rachael Barry sy'n gweithio gyda thîm ôl-16 Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd! Roeddwn innau'n un o’r bobl ifanc yr oedd hi’n gweithio gyda nhw. Rhoddodd hi lawer o gymorth i fi o ran fy mhroblemau, ac fe wnaeth hi a fy mam fy narbwyllo i wneud cais! Roeddwn i'n hapus iawn, gan fy mod i'n meddwl y byddai'n amser addas i wthio fy hun ymhellach fyth ar fy nhaith!  Beth sydd o fantais i fi hefyd yw fy mod i fy hun yn berson ifanc sydd wedi defnyddio’r gwasanaeth ieuenctid ac sydd wedi profi sut brofiad yw cael amrywiaeth o broblemau, a gall y rhain fod yn gyffredin i lawr o bobl ifanc Felly gallaf i gydymdeimlo’n hawdd â phobl ifanc eraill wrth i fi barhau â’r rôl. Cyrhaeddais i’r cam cyfweld, ac awr neu ddwy ar ôl fy nghyfweliad ces i alwad i ddweud fy mod wedi cael y swydd, sef y rôl dwi ynddi nawr!

Mae'r tîm digidol yn ddarpariaeth gwbl hanfodol yng Ngwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd.  Mae sianel Discord Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd yn enghraifft anhygoel o'r hyn y mae'r tîm digidol wedi'i roi ar waith i bobl ifanc!  Clwb ieuenctid digidol yw e! Gydag amrywiaeth o sianeli categori lle gall llawer o bobl ifanc siarad a phostio am bynciau y tu mewn i'r sianeli hyn a sgwrsio â gweithwyr ieuenctid, mods, a phobl ifanc eraill! Gyda galwadau llais a digwyddiadau sy'n digwydd yn aml, mae sianel Discord Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd yn gymuned fywiog i bobl ifanc. Mae'n cael ei goruchwylio’n gyson ac mae Gweithwyr Ieuenctid bob amser yn bresennol mewn sgyrsiau i siarad â phobl ifanc a sicrhau ei fod yn ofod ddiogel. Gall hefyd fod yn llawer haws i bobl ifanc deipio sut maen nhw'n teimlo hefyd!  Mae'r tîm digidol hefyd yn cyfrannu cymaint at ddigwyddiadau cymdeithasol Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd. Mae’n ffordd i ledaenu neges y gwasanaeth ieuenctid ac i bostio am ddigwyddiadau, diweddariadau, amseroedd agor canolfannau, fideos anhygoel o ddigwyddiadau, podlediadau, a chyfweliadau y gall pobl ifanc eu gweld yn hawdd iawn!

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Uwch Weithiwr Cymorth Ieuenctid ydw i yn Sblot. Dechreuais i ym maes gwaith ieuenctid chwe blynedd yn ôl. Hyfforddwr gweithgareddau oeddwn i cyn hynny i gwmni awyr agored. Byddai grwpiau ieuenctid a grwpiau o unedau cyfeirio disgyblion yn ymweld â'r ganolfan yn rheolaidd i wneud gweithgareddau ac fe wnes i feithrin perthynas dda gyda'r staff a'r bobl ifanc yn gyflym iawn. Gan fy mod yn mwynhau gweithio gyda phobl ifanc sydd weithiau'n dangos ymddygiad heriol, byddai'r grwpiau yn aml yn gofyn i mi fod yn hyfforddwr. Pan ddaeth swydd ar gael o fewn y gwasanaeth ieuenctid, gofynnwyd i mi a oeddwn i am wneud cais amdani ac ailhyfforddi i fod yn weithiwr ieuenctid. Roedd hyn yn gyffrous i fi oherwydd pan oeddwn i yn fy arddegau, roedd gweithwyr ieuenctid yn rhan bwysig o fy mywyd ac roedd mynd i glybiau ieuenctid yn wych. Dechreuais ychydig cyn y Nadolig ac dwi wedi mwynhau fy amser ers hynny.

Yng Nghanolfan ieuenctid Eastmoors yn Sblot dwi’n gweithio, sy’n ddarpariaeth i bobl ifanc o’r gymuned S.T.A.R neu Sblot, Tremorfa, Adamsdown a'r Rhath. Rhan o fy swydd yw rheoli'r ddarpariaeth mynediad agored gyda'r nos a cheisio tyfu'r cynnig ieuenctid i bobl ifanc yn yr ardal. Yn ddiweddar, dwi wedi meithrin perthynas dda gydag ysgol uwchradd leol gan gynnal rhaglen Realiti Rhithwir am wneud penderfyniadau o ran materion megis gangiau. Mae’r bobl ifanc wedi mwynhau.  Y cynllun ar gyfer y dyfodol yw parhau i adeiladu partneriaid yn yr ardal er mwyn gallu cynnig mwy i bobl ifanc.  Mae partneriaeth yr ysgol hefyd yn allweddol ac maen nhw wedi gofyn i ni a allen ni gynnal sesiynau anffurfiol ar addysg bersonol, gymdeithasol ac iechyd ar gyfer grwpiau o bobl ifanc.

Mae pobl ifanc sy'n dod i ganolfan ieuenctid Eastmoors yn gwybod ei fod yn lle diogel iddyn nhw ac mae wastad rhywun i wrando a chynnig cefnogaeth. Rydyn ni’n ymfalchïo ein bod yn gallu cynnig yr ofod ddiogel hon i bobl ifanc ac yn ystod misoedd y gaeaf rydyn ni’n cynnig diod a bwyd poeth i bobl ifanc i helpu gyda'r argyfwng costau byw. Mae rhai o'n myfyrwyr blwyddyn 11 wedi bod yn mynychu'r ganolfan yn ddiweddar i gynnal sesiynau adolygu i baratoi ar gyfer eu harholiadau ac mae hyn wedi bod o gymorth mawr.

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Dechreuodd fy nhaith mewn Gwaith Ieuenctid pan o'n i'n teithio'r byd; doeddwn i erioed wir yn gwybod beth roeddwn i eisiau ei wneud pan ro’n i’n ifanc. Rhoddais i gynnig ar gymaint o wahanol gyfleoedd ar ôl gadael yr ysgol, o gyrsiau coleg i swyddi i brentisiaethau, ac er fy mod yn ennill cymwysterau ac yn ennill arian, doeddwn i byth yn hoff iawn ohono. Doedd dim byd yn gwneud fi’n gyffrous i godi o'r gwely nac yn fy ysgogi.

Yn anffodus, ces i blentyndod anodd; ges i amrywiaeth o brofiadau niweidiol yn ystod plentyndod. Er gwaethaf cael sesiynau wythnosol gyda’r gwasanaeth iechyd meddwl, doedd dim byd yn gweithio.  Yr hyn oeddwn wir ei angen oedd rhywun i siarad ag ef, lle diogel i fynd a wyneb cyfeillgar a chyfarwydd - gweithiwr ieuenctid!

Chwiliais i a chwiliais i am swyddi a chymwysterau gwaith ieuenctid. Gwnes i gyfweliadau ar Teams ar ôl llwyddo i gael lle ar radd Gwaith Ieuenctid a Chymunedol. Cwblheais dros 1000 o oriau o wirfoddoli mewn clwb ieuenctid, enillais i gymhwyster Lefel 2 mewn Gwaith Ieuenctid, a gweithiais i mewn amrywiaeth o rolau gwaith ieuenctid gwahanol. Es ymlaen i ennill Anrhydedd Dosbarth Cyntaf mewn Gwaith Ieuenctid a Chymuned.

Ymunais â'r Tîm Ôl-16 gyda Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd, a oedd yn her newydd.

Mae'r rôl Mentor Ôl-16 yn rhoi cymorth i bobl ifanc 16-25 oed sydd wedi colli cysylltiad â’r gymdeithas i ailymgysylltu â hi; mae’n helpu pobl ifanc i ddod o hyd i gyfleoedd cyflogaeth, addysg, hyfforddiant a gwirfoddoli drwy sesiynau 1:1 a grŵp yn eu cymunedau eu hunain. Rydyn ni’n dechrau lle y mae’r person ifanc ar y pryd, ac rydyn ni’n canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn i adnabod eu galluoedd hwythau, ac i wella eu lles. Drwy hynny y nod yw rhoi annibyniaeth a gofod ddiogel i gyflawni nodau tra’n dileu rhwystrau.
Does dim diwrnod yr un fath i Fentor Ieuenctid Ôl-16; mae pob person ifanc a phob diwrnod yn wahanol.  O ymweliadau cartref i brosiectau pwrpasol, i gefnogi pobl ifanc i ymweld â darpariaethau, sesiynau lles i gynyddu hyder, i gysylltu â chyfleoedd ehangach y gwasanaeth ieuenctid; testun balchder i ni yw troi cynlluniau gweithredu pobl ifanc yn ganlyniadau llwyddiannus.

Gall mesur yr effaith y mae'r ddarpariaeth yn ei chael ar bobl ifanc fod yn dipyn o her; bydd pobl ifanc yn aml yn diolch i chi am y gefnogaeth ac yn cysylltu â'u mentoriaid i ddiweddaru pa mor dda y mae pethau'n mynd, ond astudiaethau achos yw’r ffordd orau i gofnodi eu taith.  Mae'r Tîm Ôl-16 yn gweithio gyda rhai o'r bobl ifanc anoddaf eu cyrraedd ledled y ddinas, yn aml yn meithrin perthnasoedd â phobl ifanc nad ydyn nhw wedi gadael eu cartrefi ers misoedd neu hyd yn oed flynyddoedd, i'w helpu i ailymgysylltu â'r gymuned; mae’r effaith yn aml yn mynd yn angof oni bai bod person ifanc neu riant/warcheidwad yn adrodd eu stori.

Mae'r galw cynyddol am y gwasanaeth wedi gweld y tîm yn tyfu'n aruthrol yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf ac mae'r tîm ôl-16 yn parhau i weithio'n galed i ddarparu gwasanaeth o ansawdd uchel i bobl ifanc, gan sicrhau bod eu lleisiau'n cael eu clywed yn gyson a chan gadw pobl ifanc wrth galon yr hyn a wnawn ni.

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Ar hyn o bryd, dwi'n uwch swyddog ieuenctid yn y Tîm Cynnwys Actif. Dwi'n rheoli tîm o weithwyr ieuenctid ac rydyn ni’n gweithio gyda gwasanaethau ieuenctid ehangach a grwpiau ar y cyrion i addysgu pobl ifanc am hawliau plant.  Rydyn ni hefyd yn rhoi mwy o gyfleoedd i bobl ifanc i gael llais. O fewn fy nhîm, mae gen i'r cydlynydd Hwb Meddwl sy'n gweithio gyda phobl ifanc ynghylch lles, gan roi gwybodaeth, cefnogaeth ac arweiniad yn ogystal â grymuso ac uwchsgilio pobl ifanc. Rydw i hefyd yn rheoli prentis o fewn y tîm ac yn rhoi cyfleoedd am brofiad gwaith a Lleoliadau Dechrau Disglair.

Mae'r tîm Cyfranogiad Gweithredol yn gweithio o fewn gwasanaethau ieuenctid ehangach gwasanaeth ieuenctid Caerdydd.  Rydyn ni’n dîm o 5 â sawl swyddfa gwasanaeth ieuenctid. Rydyn ni’n cyflwyno prosiectau gweithdai gyda phobl ifanc ac ar eu cyfer, gan eu haddysgu ynghylch hawliau plant a chan roi llais iddyn nhw.  Rydyn ni’n sicrhau bod gwerth yn cael ei roi ar lais pobl ifanc. Mae hyn yn gysylltiedig â’n prosiect presennol ar Erthygl 12 a 13 o Gonfensiwn Hawliau Plant y Cenhedloedd Unedig.

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Yn wreiddiol roeddwn i am fod yn nyrs. Gwnes i wythnos mewn lleoliad yn yr ysbyty a sylweddolais i nad y lle iawn i fi oedd e, felly roedd rhaid dod o hyd i rywbeth arall i orffen fy oriau lleoliad yn y coleg.  Ces i fy lleoli mewn clwb ieuenctid i orffen fy oriau lleoliad, a fel maen nhw’n dweud, pan chi’n gwybod, chi’n gwybod.  O fynna ymlaen darganfyddais i fy angerdd dros weithio gyda phobl ifanc a gwneud gwahaniaeth, o brofiadau gyda'r Gwasanaeth Troseddau Ieuenctid, hostel byw lled-annibynnol ar gyfer pobl ifanc 16-18 oed sy'n gadael gofal ac, wrth weithio mewn cartref preswyl gyda phedwar o bobl ifanc, des i wedyn yn fentor ieuenctid Addysg Plant sy'n Derbyn Gofal (APDG). Mae profiad gyda phobl ifanc sydd wedi neu sydd yn y gwasanaethau plant wedi bod o fudd i mi yn y swydd gan ei bod wedi rhoi mwy o wybodaeth i mi. a dealltwriaeth o sut i gyflawni'r rôl.  Fy rôl o ddydd i ddydd fel mentor ieuenctid yw

●     Trefnu gyda'r ysgol yn ystod pa wers i fynd â'r disgyblion allan y diwrnod hwnnw.

●     Efallai y byddwn ni’n rhoi gwybod i ofalwyr maeth / Gweithwyr Cymdeithasol os oes unrhyw bryderon/broblemau.

●     Gwneud ymweliadau cartref os nad yw'r disgybl yn mynd i’r ysgol.

●     Olrhain i ble mae disgyblion yn mynd ar ôl troi’n 16 oed

●      Diweddaru i ble mae disgyblion yn mynd ar ôl troi’n 16 oed

Yr effaith a'r gwahaniaeth y mae ein rôl yn ei gael ar bobl ifanc yw'r cysondeb rydyn ni’n ei roi iddyn nhw. Rydyn ni hefyd yn cydymdeimlo â'r trawma y maen nhw wedi bod drwyddo. Mae'r berthynas rydyn ni’n ei meithrin gyda'r bobl ifanc yn ein galluogi i ennyn ymddiriedaeth, a'u helpu a'u cefnogi i wneud gwahaniaeth. Rydyn ni wedi cael pobl ifanc yn y gorffennol ar ein llwythi achosion sydd wedi bod mewn perygl o ddod yn NEET a thrwy weithio gyda nhw gan ddangos parch, cysondeb a chefnogaeth gadarnhaol yn ddiamod, maen nhw’n llwyddo i gael lleoedd mewn colegau, hyfforddiant, neu gyflogaeth.  Ym mhob achos, rydyn ni o hyd yn ceisio gwneud gwahaniaeth i’n pobl ifanc i wireddu’r canlyniadau gorau.  Dyna'r effaith y rydyn ni fentoriaid ieuenctid APDG yn ei chael ar bobl ifanc.

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Ron ydw i ac rydw i'n weithiwr cymorth ieuenctid digidol!  Dwi'n gweithio gyda'r tîm digidol ac yn gwneud ychydig (llawer) o bopeth! Mae hynny'n cynnwys cynnal cyfrifon cyfryngau cymdeithasol fel Facebook, Twitter ac Instagram. Fi luniodd y testun rydych chi'n ei ddarllen AR HYN O BRYD!

Dwi'n treulio llawer o amser yn creu cynnwys ac yn ymchwilio i wybodaeth i'w rhannu i helpu i roi cyfleoedd newydd a gwybodaeth bwysig i bobl ifanc. Fy nghyfrifoldeb i hefyd yw helpu i ddangos yr hyn y mae ein gwasanaeth yn ei wneud.

Pan nad ydw i ar ein platfformau cyfryngau cymdeithasol, dwi'n gofalu am y wefan - mae hyn yn cynnwys ychwanegu aelodau staff a digwyddiadau newydd, a datblygu'r tudalennau presennol sy’ ‘da ni. Y nod yw eu cadw nhw'n berthnasol ac yn gyfredol. Gall hyn fod yn arbennig o anodd gan fod ochr gefn ein gwefan yn heriol i’w llywio. Mae fel ceisio dal ieir. Dwi heb roi cynnig arno, ond dwi’n gallu dychmygu ei fod yn anodd… Oni bai eu bod yn ieir cwrtais iawn… Wel, mae’r ieir dwi’n eu dal yn wyllt a byth yn stopio!

Y rhan orau o unrhyw ddiwrnod penodol yw gweld pobl ifanc.  Dwi'n helpu gyda’r clwb gemau fideo ar ddydd Llun a chrewyr ifanc ar ddydd Gwener.  Dwi'n enwog am fy nghwisiau Kahoot, sy'n helpu i ddod â'r clwb gemau fideo yn fyw! Un diwrnod dwi'n gobeithio gwneud cwisiau ar gyfer cewri fel Beyonce neu James Healan. Siarad â phobl ifanc ac ymgysylltu â nhw drwy ein platfform Discord yw uchafbwynt fy rôl! Nhw sy’n llywio’r holl waith rydyn ni'n ei wneud drwy waith ymgynghori, ac maen nhw o hyd yn dysgu rhywbeth i fi neu’n gwneud i fi wenu ac i chwerthin. Hyd yn oed os yw'n gallu bod yn heriol ar adegau, dwi'n dwli ar fy ngwaith! Hwrê!

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Dechreuais i fy nhaith gwaith ieuenctid drwy fynd i glybiau ieuenctid fy hun yn 12 oed. Cymerais i ran mewn cyfleoedd fel arolygwyr ifanc a chyfwelwyr ifanc. O hyn roeddwn i'n gallu cael gwybod am glybiau ieuenctid eraill oedd yn digwydd yn y gymuned.  Ymwelais i â chlwb ieuenctid ar gyfer pobl ifanc ag anableddau a dechreuais i wirfoddoli yn ystod hanner tymor. Ces i fy ethol i'r grŵp gweithredu ieuenctid lleol i sicrhau bod y cynghorwyr lleol yn gwrando ar eu lleisiau.  Yna ces i fy ethol yn i Fforwm Ieuenctid y Fro i gynrychioli Penarth a rhannu barn pobl ifanc ar raddfa fwy.

Yn 16 oed, ces i gontract 3 awr fel gweithiwr ieuenctid yn fy nghlwb ieuenctid lleol ac ar ôl 6 blynedd trôdd hwn yn gontract 25 awr mewn amryw o rolau gwaith ieuenctid ledled Bro Morgannwg.  Yn ystod y 6 blynedd dechreuais i flwyddyn un yn y brifysgol lle bues i’n helpu gyda Dug Caeredin gyda phobl ifanc yn rhan o fy lleoliad. Dewisais i gael saib o waith ieuenctid ond y llynedd, fe wnes i barhau â fy astudiaethau ac roeddwn i'n ddigon ffodus i gael lleoliad gyda Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd a Barnardo's.

Mae fy lleoliad gyda Barnardo's wedi cynnwys gweithio gyda phobl ifanc mewn ysgolion i'w helpu mewn amgylchedd grŵp gyda'u lles emosiynol.  Rydyn ni’n dîm ymyrraeth gynnar sy'n gweithio i leihau'r rhestr gwnsela sydd wedi dyblu ers COVID-19.  Rydyn ni’n gweithio ochr yn ochr â phobl ifanc i'w helpu i ddatblygu tŵls i ymdopi â'u teimladau a'u hemosiynau.

Rydw i hefyd wrthi’n gwneud lleoliad gyda Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd. Rwy'n gweithio gyda'u Tîm Digidol ar eu darpariaeth Discord ar gyfer pobl ifanc 13 – 16 oed.  Mae Discord yn glwb ieuenctid ar-lein yn y bôn, sy'n darparu gweithgareddau ar-lein i'r bobl ifanc hyn.  Mae hyn yn amrywio o gemau fideo ar-lein, coginio, darlunio neu sgyrsiau’n unig am eu hoff bethau. Rydyn ni hefyd yn rhoi cymorth i bobl ifanc o amgylch eu lles ac yn rhoi cyfleoedd iddyn nhw i gwrdd â darpariaethau gwasanaeth ieuenctid eraill a chael mynediad atyn nhw. Ar hyn o bryd, rwy'n cefnogi grŵp llywio o bobl ifanc sy'n 16+ oed ac sydd eisiau cael mynediad at wasanaeth tebyg ar gyfer eu grŵp oedran.  Rydw i wedi bod yn hwyluso ymgynghoriadau i adnabod yr angen am y gwasanaeth hwn ac rwyf wedi bod yn trosglwyddo'r wybodaeth hon i uwch reolwyr gan obeithio y bydd y gwasanaeth yn cael ei ariannu yn y dyfodol agos.

Mae'r gwaith rwy'n ei wneud yn cael effaith ar bobl ifanc heb fynediad at ddarpariaethau ieuenctid am wahanol resymau, boed hynny oherwydd pryder, lleoliad, gallu corfforol neu oherwydd bod yn well ganddynt fynediad ar-lein. Gall pobl ifanc gael gweithiwr ieuenctid i siarad ag ef ar adeg y maen nhw angen hynny drwy gydol y dydd heb orfod mynd i unrhyw le. Drwy weithio gyda'r grŵp llywio a hwyluso ymgynghoriadau, rydw i wedi gallu rhannu eu barn a'u lleisiau gydag uwch reolwyr i sicrhau bod ganddyn nhw fynediad at wasanaethau sydd angen arnyn nhw yn eu tyb nhw. . Rydw i wedi meithrin perthynas dda gyda phobl ifanc lle gallan nhw ymddiried ynof i a rhannu anawsterau y maen nhw’n eu hwynebu i ni allu eu datrys gyda’n gilydd.