Meet AJ, one of our Community Action Workers here at Birmingham Settlement! We sat down and asked him a few questions about his work…
AJ stood in front of the multi sports Playzone at the Sports & Community Centre.
What is your role here at Birmingham Settlement?
“I am a Community Action Support Worker which means that I support the [Sports & Community] centre by delivering sessions to service users from a variety of ages, backgrounds and abilities. I also help to plan sessions and support staff by covering and helping around the building with general tasks.”
What does a typical day look like in your role?
“There is not really a typical day here for me, due to being part-time and doing a lot of work here during the evenings, every day is different. Most of the time I come in, set up my session, deliver it, then tidy up and leave. However on some days I am onsite during the evening whilst we have room hires and I occasionally do gym inductions which have been booked in during my hours. In any time I am not in a session, I am planning for future sessions.”
What inspired you to become a Community Action Worker?
“Prior to becoming a Community Action Worker, I was a Volunteer for a year and a half. During this time I was in college already studying around sports, which coincides with the activities I was helping with here. From this I saw the opportunity to do sports-related sessions with people in the community which was a win-win for me as I was seeing people happy, engaging and getting to know each other and it was through an interest that I shared with them. There is also the fact that every session has different service users which makes everyday different as I am working with different people non-stop.”
What are some of the main challenges young people face today?
“Young people face many challenges, especially due to stereotypes made about the youth of today. Many people feel intimidated or threatened due to news which only provides a view on the negatives. Because of this, young people don’t get given many opportunities to do things. Additionally, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many young people missed out on meeting new people and developing hobbies. There is also a sense of anxiety due to both of these with many young people as they feel they wont fit into a group or have doubts and are unwilling to try new things.”
What benefits does our youth service have on the young people attending the sessions?
“Our sessions provide numerous benefits for young people. Many have said they have made friends by attending our sessions who they now see outside of the centre. It gives them a sense of belonging as this is their community. They have consistency here with sessions being every week, so they always have something to look forward to and they get the chance to try activities, games, or sports which they have never tried before.”
What is your favourite part of your job?
“My favourite part of my job is delivering sessions to the community no matter what age, background or ability. When people are engaged in a session and genuinely having fun it is great, especially when I know I was part of giving that experience or teaching them something new within the session.”