Ali Baranowski

My name is Ali I have been working with young people for more than half of my life.  I kind of fell into youth work for my work experience as a way to make up for not wanting to take a year out.  From then on, I have found that nothing else has provided me with the same sense of purpose.  I have recently completed my Masters in Youth Work and Community Development which has helped me to be able to understand more about the theory of youth work. 

As a young person I suffered from bullying all through my time at school and I do believe that without the support of the youth workers that I had the privilege of knowing that I would not have made it through that period.  I now recognize that I have life experiences that I can share with young people and hope that I can provide them with the skills to be able to manage through school as well.

I came to the project on placement as I was struggling to find somewhere that I felt was the right fit.  From that point I have felt supported to grow both as a person and in my work.  A large growth area for me has been taking on the Duke of Edinburgh leadership this year.  This for me was something that was very out of my knowledge area and comfort zone.  I have always walked in different areas of the UK and abroad, but this time I had to teach other young people not only to do it but to enjoy it as well. This has been a big but enjoyable challenge for me this year.