Rachel Burton

Youth Work Manager
 
rachel.burton@adultlearning.wales
07960 858835

“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Mark Twain

Working with young people is such a privilege.  Walking with someone through adolescence, for a long or short time, is challenging and inspiring.  It keeps me ‘on my toes’, stretches and develops my skills, makes me cry, laugh and, most of all, gives me hope for the future.

For over 30 years I have been involved in the field of youth work as a youth worker, youth work trainer, youth work training officer and now, as manager of the youth worker training here at Adult Learning Wales. At the core of my work is my focus to support young people and adult learners to thrive and reach their potential.  Seeing this happen is the best reward any job can offer.

I started out volunteering in youth work in a local community youth project in the early 1990s.  Volunteering meant not being paid – but giving my time to help and support young people. It’s not rocket science: give someone some time, care and attention, and they will begin to flourish.  With young people at the helm, leading and directing the project, we developed a youth work project that was run by young people, for young people.  It included local, national and international opportunities across a broad spectrum of informal learning activities.

While doing this I found out about adult education opportunities.  I gained a Level 3 Teaching Qualification and did my Level 2 in youth work. I loved learning as an adult, especially in something I was passionate about. Through my training and experience I gained a paid post in youth work as a schools based youth worker, along side my volunteering post in the local youth work project.

Eventually, I enrolled on the undergraduate Youth Work Degree and gained my professional qualification in youth work.  It gave me a sense of purpose to return to education as an adult to pursue a career path that I had chosen.  It wasn’t easy studying with a young family and working, but because I love youth work, it helped me to stick at it and achieve.

Other youth work career opportunities opened up: training of youth workers in my local youth service, training officer post in national Youth Information Project CLIC, senior lecturer post to train youth support workers across Wales.  I have taken part in European Youth Information training with ERYICA (European Youth Information and Counselling Agency) and brought the training back to Wales and delivered to youth workers.  I am always learning and seek out training and have qualified as: an Internal Quality Assurer of Qualifications at (IQA Level 4),  a Youth Work Supervisor at Level 7, and a Distinction at Level 7 in my Post Graduate Certificate in Education in Teaching Adults.

Since 2016 I have been manager of the Youth Work Team at Adult Learning Wales.  We are a dedicated and qualified team of youth workers and teachers in adult education, and we regularly train over 300 adult learners across Wales, each year. The stories of how this training impacts the lives of the learners, and the young people they work with, are inspirational.

As manager I represent the team and the organisation with youth work partners and projects to influence the development and direction of youth work in Wales, and I value partnering with:

• Council in Wales for Voluntary Youth Services
• Education Training Standards Wales
• Educators’ Wales Council
• Training and Assessors Group Cymru
• Welsh Government Implementation Group for Workforce.

I love walking and connecting with nature.  I am a keen photographer and love to capture my walks, with my two faithful dogs, in a family blog.  I swim a lot, cycle less, but am always reading something.  I belong to a local writing club and  to enjoy writing creatively.  I listen to a wide range of music and play piano and keys for a local band.

Who’d have thought a volunteer, unpaid youth worker, would have such a journey? Not me back then, but now it shapes what I, and what we as a team, do every day.  We are passionate about training youth workers to be the best they can be, to enjoy their roles and help the young people they work with to flourish.  Now that’s a job I enjoy doing.