Rozerin's Work Experience Diary - Day One At The RAF Museum

The Wellbeing partnership development workshop.

On the 10th of July 2017, I was lucky enough to be a part of a meeting which took place in the RAF. Getting to the location was simple since the work experience was local to me, although I did feel a sense of anticipation and excitement on the journey there.

Once I arrived I was quick to realise that being anxious was unnecessary. It was a nice atmosphere to be a part of, everyone was very friendly and sociable when introducing themselves which helped get the edge off the fact that it was both mine and Ursula’s first day working with the Young Barnet Foundation. Jan and Sarah set a great example of what it meant to work in a team to get over bumps, I also mean this in a literal sense. Dragging the trolley containing food was a slight issue as the RAF had lots of bumps and holes which either made the trolley stuck or difficult to push, but we steadily made our way through whilst Jan, Sarah and Sara introduced us to themselves and to the Foundation.

It was certainly the first time I had attended any meeting which took place at the RAF, which led to me wondering ‘why is it taking place at the RAF?’ That question had a very simple but smart answer, the Barnet Youth Foundation wanted to show off their members venues to every who was due to attend the meeting.

The first task we were given helped us get comfortable communicating with the team, it was simple, straightforward and a good warm-up for the day ahead of us, we had to set up the room which the meeting was going take place in.

After preparing the room, Emma told us our next task was to assist her in greeting and escorting the guests, which was slightly difficult since the RAF is so big and guests were wandering before we managed to make our way around to the pickup location, the reception. However, Emma made quick use of her problem-solving skills and resolved the issue which gave me an insight as to how one should deal with such situations. This also helped in getting comfortable around those who are arriving.

By the time we successfully got everyone around and into the main building, the meeting was steadily beginning to start, it felt strange being a youth within a meeting about youths. The atmosphere certainly changed, it was still friendly but I could sense the professionalism in the air. Pete gave me and Ursula notebooks which gave us the opportunity to take notes of what happened within the meeting, and he then allowed us to also take part giving us as youths the opportunity to voice and note our opinions and perspectives. I enjoyed this part of the experience the most as it educated me on of various opinions, ideas and approaches people take and consider when dealing with their community. It was by far the most professional and interesting meeting I have ever been privileged enough to take part in.

Not only did it give me the opportunity of what is being done by organisations within my own borough, but it also projected what else could be done. This reinforced the idea that, it isn’t always about answering, but also asking questions to improve your understanding of specific topics. I was amazed by the passion the adults had when discussing such issues about youths and mental health in Barnet. Their approach was very open minded and considerate of all members of society, not just specific groups. Watching the nature of the team change just went to show how you should adapt to the environment in which you work in. For example, Sarah was very confident in leading the discussion and managing time.

As someone who wants to work with humanities, the day motivated me to continue living up to my passions.