CEO Youthline Charitable Trust

Stephen Bell has been working with Youthline for 20 years.

Name: Stephen Bell
Role: CEO Youthline Charitable Trust
Working hours: 50-60 hours per week
Pay: $60,000-$120,000

What do you do?

I work as the CEO of Youthline Charitable Trust which provides a range of community development, youth development, training and social services. Youthline employs 40 fulltime staff, contracts another 40 part-time and has almost 1000 volunteers involved around New Zealand. I also have a role as national spokesperson and co-ordinate the national executive of the 11 New Zealand-wide Youthline centres.

How did you end up in your current job?

It is a prime example of a hobby getting out of control and taking over my life. I was a volunteer at Youthline in the middle of the 80s and said I would help out with a few administrative things for a year or two, which has now extended to 20 years.

Why did you choose this career?

It chose me. My first 15 years of working life was in the commercial arena. However, a few major events influenced my commitment to Youthline's work. The initial influence was, when young, being small and sickly (and consequently bullied a lot at school), then in my late 20s flatting with health students, which opened up new worlds to me, and my brother being killed by a young drunk driver. These made me rethink my priorities.

What qualifications did you need?

A management qualification combined with an understanding of the sector. I qualified as a nurse in my early 30s and this training alongside my community work training and my business experience helped shape my skills. I am currently participating in the Hillary leadership programme at the School of Business at Auckland University.

What sort of person does it take to do what you do?

Someone who gets on with people from all walks of life; senior executives of major corporations and government, therapists and youth workers and the young people involved as volunteers and clients. Leadership is vital in this area and requires a gentle robustness that holds business accountabilities without stifling the youthful personality of the organisation.

What are your responsibilities?

I work with the team around me so we are relevant to youth community and then develop a "scaffold" that focuses all the creative processes to achieve the work of the organisation. I hold the business realities and link with different people to bring in the best from the commercial world, the charitable world, the social services, youth and health sector and build bridges to the academic world.

What do you enjoy most about it?

I love the diversity of people - the young people in Youthline's school, the team around me who create and add so much value to the world. I love hearing from people that we have worked with and what it means to them in their lives. I love seeing a piece of youth art in one of our exhibitions. I love getting a donation because I know what it means as far as enabling us to do our work well. I love the sense of satisfaction in seeing an organisation grow and mature - knowing what that means for people who are involved, who use our service and what, in turn, that means for the wider community.

What is the strangest thing you have encountered while at work?

It is still strange to me how difficult it is for a youth organisation to do its work in New Zealand and how much patch protection there is in our sector and in our country. We have some of the worst health statistics for young people in the developed world, and yet Youthline sometimes loses support because it is successful!

What would you tell someone wanting to do your job?

Have a supportive partner! I would not be able to do what I do without the support of my wife, Charlotte. She is a psychotherapist and we share an understanding of working with people and a love of community.

What do you think your next career move will be?

I feel I have one more major career change in me before I retire, maybe back to the commercial world. However, the community sector is so in my blood that whatever I do I would be involved in supporting community work, maybe on the board of an organisation or as a mentor for a fledging group.

I am also interested in seeing how we can build depth into the profession of youth work with the associated development of a chair of youth work at a university with relevant research projects being undertaken.