A bit about me.
I live in Newtownards Co’ Down Northern Ireland . I was born in 1973 and grew up on a family run farm in County Down Northern Ireland. I have been a youth worker for what seems like forever but in actual fact only 14 years. I graduated Donaghadee high school in 1990, and then spent two years at North Down College of further education studying architecture and quantity surveying. Upon graduating in 1992 I decided to seek employment rather than take a long and expensive time at university studying architecture. I was offered a job with a local builders merchant and began my employment life in 1992 with Haldane & Fisher ltd. After working my way up to the assistant manager position I left work to attend Belfast Bible College to further my training as a youth worker. I was working as a volunteer leader in a local Youth for Christ drop in centre at the time. After three years of a difficult and challenging time I graduated. Simultaneously I proposed to Ally my then girlfriend (I felt God did not want me to cement our relationship till I finished college so within 2 hours of my finial exam I asked Ally to marry me, she said yes)
We then both began employment with CFC Belfast Ally as the youth evangelist and I had the dizssy title of youth work co-ordinator. We stayed there until the summer of 2002 then moved to Surrey England to work both as youth pastors withEllel Ministries at their Pierrepont Centre. We returned home in December 2005 and I began working with Shore Street Presbyterian church as their director of youth work. Quite a journey and I could say so much about it all but I do not have the space to note it all here.
*November 2008 update*
In the next month I will be leaving Shore Street Presbyterian church and taking up the position of a floating support worker with the Simon Community.
*July 2009 Update*
I have now been an employee of Simon Community for six months. This was quite a change from the faith based youth work sector to a more mainstream community based charity. It has been great and i have learned so much and have come in contact with some amazing people. I hope to spend some time in this current position and develop my skills and experience in working with a very marginalised sector of our community.
*January 2011 update*
I have now been working for Simon Community for just over 2 years. I love the opportunity to work in the sector and feel I have gained much from working with homeless young people. In my current position I am trying to develop a preventative programme aimed at providing suitable and timely support to young people who are at risk of becoming homeless.
Any way this is a little bit about me.
S:
groovyyyyyy
