Sometime last year I decided it was time for a change in my work. I thought about it a lot, got stressed and worried about it for a lot of reasons but finally decided to resign from both parts of my job as youth worker (at school and church) at the end of 2011...without having another job to go to. Before I resigned I started looking for work and things were very slow...I think I am still waiting to hear back from SA health....safe to say I wasn't successful. Another reason I wanted to resign is because I studied social work at uni and really wanted to get into the field more. I kept applying for jobs and went to a couple of interviews. One with an organisation I have admired for quite some time. I appreciate the work they do in the community.
While I was waiting to hear back about whether I had that job or not I heard about another job, which was a youth worker job at a DECDS (public/state) school. The school is no ordinary school. You can't enrol like any other school but the young people are referred through agencies. The school accepts young people who don't "fit" into mainstream high school for whatever reason. Sometimes due to social, behavioural, mental health or learning issues. The young people come from tough backgrounds and I have learnt so much having been there these past couple of weeks. I am so glad that I heard about this job because I didn't get the other one. And I was offered this one a week after I finished up at my other job. WHAT a relief!
I am working in the youth work team and I'm a case manager for a number of young people. From what I have learnt so far I am working with the young people connected with school but who are not on the timetabled program. They are in the flexible learning option. Some due to chronic non attending. mental health issues, trouble with the law...and so on. It's been a full on couple of weeks but the staff are great and they work really well as a team, supporting and looking after each other in what can be a pretty intense work environment. I'm excited to be doing something that's more along the lines of social work and be making connections with these young people and hopefully supporting them in ways to help them in their future learning. I am also really excited to have weekends off! AND Friday nights! :)
I'm hoping I'll still be able to blog regularly and this will definitely become a space to relax and get away from work and to share fun, craft and life! It has been a a great couple of weeks with not only starting this new job, but also my pregnant buddy Sez had her bubba! A little boy named Harley! Tim's sister and brother in law moved in literally down the street from us so it will be so nice to be in the same state as them! Life is good, full and busy!
