Meet the Team

Jon is the Project Coordinator for Dudley Young Advisers. He is employed by Connexions in conjunction with Dudley Community Partnership. For over ten years now he has worked with Young People both for the voluntary and statutory sector. Currently he works for Connexions but also works on a part time basis for Worcestershire Youth Service and sessionally for the Youth Offending Service. In any spare time he gets he enjoys outdoor pursuits and this is reflected in his work with young people. He is a qualified offsite visits coordinator and expedition leader and enjoys arranging residential trips for young people sampling new activities such as coasteering, rock climbing or gorge walking.

He enjoys working with the Young Advisors because it not only gives young people the chance to have their say and make a real difference beyond tokenistic involvement, it also provides young people with a real taste of employment in a professional environment.

The project is now going from strength to strength with work coming in both locally and nationally, if you require any more information please feel free to contact Jon.

Rob became a Young Advisor in May 2008 because he believed that there wasn't enough provision for young people in the Dudley area and that this was developing into much more serious problems in the borough.

During Robs time at college he was the secretary to the Student Union and as a team developed social events for the students of the college along with tackling other issues such as dated out of classroom facilities and creating an identity for students of the college.

Rob has finished his degree in Geography at the University of Birmingham and has been using the skills he has obtained to assist him in the current projects.

He feels that the projects he involves himself with have vital importance in changing Dudley image as well as improving the borough for the future. His interests and skills in computer and web development mirror those skills needed for current projects that Dudley Young Advisors are involved in. The enjoyment in the work that Rob does is mirrored through the way it is presented and gives a unique approach that only that of a Young person can bring.

Rachael became a Young Advisor in January 2007, when the scheme was being piloted here in Dudley. She is currently reading BA Hons Social Policy at the University of Brimingham.

Rachael wanted to become a Young Advisor after having volunteered as a mentor for 3 years with Young People aged 13-19. She has always been interested in social experiences and the way in which things happen at local and national governement. Her work as a part time detached young worker in the Dudley are has also helped her with work as a Young Advisor.

Rachael is one of nine Young Advisors nationally to sit on the Youth Advisory panel in conjunction with Hazel Blears.

She hopes that the work she is doing with Young Advisors will help with her degree in order to give her experience aswell as the qualification to someday become a good civil servant.

On a Local Level, Rachael hopes that the councillors and decision makers within Dudley, use Young Advisors to the max, in order to foster a positive image for young people and the rest of the Borough.

Linden became a Young Advisor in January 2007, when the scheme was being piloted here in Dudley.

Linden's main interest is acting. At the moment he spends half his week in London and half in the Midlands training with the National Youth Theatre.
A couple of years ago he played the role of Tybalt in the Channel 4 Documentary production of Romeo and Juliet.
He looovveesss Computer games!

He decided to become a Young Advisor after being given an advertising poster through a friend of mine. He was and is still always willing to speak up for things he believes in, especially those that were youth related, but never felt that the school or local youth council ways of doing things were for him, or actually productive in making active changes.

The Young Advisors position allowed him to get paid for something he wanted to do and believed in while offering relatively flexible hours. Who could ask for more?

Linden hopes to be able to have young people’s opinions taken seriously and to be able to say to himself ‘We made a difference in dudley, and the rest of the country’. There are too many times when a young person’s opinions will be neglected and simply disregarded because they’re young, but yet we’re still citizens of our area, therefore the facilities within it should be catered to us too, so it only makes sense for us be able to have a say in that.

It also strikes Linden as stupid how adults will ask other adults for young people’s opinions or to try and understand us, when frankly, simply asking us what we want in an open space would be much more efficient, cost effective, and ultimately, sensible, that just doing what an adult thinks. So in respects to that, he hopes to open up councillors and governors minds to actually engage in a little use of common sense.

Jo became a Young Advisor in January 2007, when the scheme was being piloted here in Dudley. She is currently reading Business Marketing and Advertising at DeMontfort University.

Jo's main reason for wanting to be a YA was that she thought that it was a positive change from her previous jobs and that it was very different to most jobs that people have who are my age. After being a YA for nearly 2 years, she has been witness to a lot of changes and improvements that the Dudley YAs (herself included) have been involved in and therefore feel proud to be identified as a Young Advisor.

Looking back Jo can see that Young Advisors have made a difference in our community, for different organisations and local people but most importantly young people. Being a Young Advisor has widened her skills and capabilities, and given her confidence to do a range of things that she would not be doing at such a young age, it has helped shape her be to become a better person, both at home, with friends and now at university.

Chanai became a Young Advisor in May 2008

Chanai became a young advisor as she is very passionate about giving young people a voice and getting more facilities for young people up and running in hard to reach areas. From her own experiance, she doesn't think theres enough things to do and places to go as a teenager.

So when she found out she could make changes within communities Chanai jumped at the chance! In the future she hopes to see many more communties with more facilties and toghtherness, Chanai's reward for her work is being able to think "we made those changes!"

She is a full time college student studying a BTEC in health and social care and when she not at college she tries to keep fit by going to the gym every week then miss a month.

Marie became a Young Advisor in May 2008

Marie is currently working in Dudley with a really great team! She is studying at Sixth Form, Sport and Exercise, Maths and Human Biology. Marie enjoys playing, coaching and officiating sport.

Marie also volunteered for over 250 hours last year and she enjoys music and playing an electric acoustic guitar. At the moment she is training to be a level 2 Netball coach and a lifeguard!

Marie wanted to be a Young Advisor as she would like to think that she could be able to represent Young People and assist on the money spending side of things focusing on what Young People actually need and will enjoy. Young people will rule the world so why not start the change now!