KEY POINTS:
Name: Kirsty Pillay-Hansen
Age: 29
Role: Foundation for Youth Development training and development manager.
Working hours: Generally 8am-5pm, but also travel to visit schools and regional staff and provide training programmes.
Average salary: $60,000-$80,000.
Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) at University of Auckland and Master of Arts Honours in Psychology, University of Canterbury.
Describe what you do.
As training and development manager for the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD), I'm involved in co-ordinating the training and programme development for FYD's three programmes; Kiwi Can, Stars and Project K.
I work with diverse groups, including our regional programme staff, mentor trainers and young people involved in the programmes. This involves meeting the school principals, teachers, families and whanau of our students to consult on areas for programme development. I also represent our organisation on working groups and committees within the youth sector.
What is the Foundation for Youth Development?
Foundation for Youth Development was founded by Graeme Dingle and Jo-anne Wilkinson as an umbrella trust that covers Kiwi Can, Stars and Project K programmes. FYD provides leadership, programme materials, research and evaluation to the programmes which are delivered through 24 regional trusts to 15,000 young people in schools.
Why did you choose this line of work?
This role allows me to focus on areas I really care about. I have a passion for training and youth development and providing young people with the education, support and resources essential to their health and wellbeing. I believe that with these skills and the opportunity to participate in society in a valued and meaningful way, young people can be empowered to make healthy decisions in life and maximise their potential.
Your history?
From a young age I thoroughly enjoyed working with children and young people. During my senior years at secondary school, I worked as a swim instructor and volunteered on school holiday programmes. While studying for my BA degree in psychology at Auckland University, I helped co-ordinate programmes for the YMCA and trained as a telephone counsellor for Youthline. Over several years, I extended into other Youthline roles including group facilitator and mentoring and supervising telephone counsellors.
After completing my BA, I worked as a community youth worker with the Education Unit of Auckland Sexual Health Service. I then moved to Christchurch and did my MA degree, focusing on social and community psychology and youth development. I also worked part-time as a research assistant and tutored students completing the National Certificate and Diploma in Social Work.
After that, I worked for the Family Planning Association for two years, firstly as education team leader for the Central North Island region and then as an educator back to Auckland.
I then became a youth participation adviser for the Ministry of Youth Development's Auckland regional team for around one year. During this time, I also started mentoring and mentor training for Project K North Shore. When an opportunity arose to work full time for the Foundation for Youth Development, I grabbed it.
What training and experience is useful?
A qualification in youth work, education and/or training principles (adolescent and adult) is useful, but not essential. It's more important to have an understanding of youth development, experiential training (learning by doing) and mentoring programmes.
What skills or qualities do you need?
Time management and good organisational skills are important as well as being able to network and build strong relationships with a range of people. Good communication, presentation and facilitation skills are essential for delivering quality training programmes. It's also important to be an effective team player and to be adaptable to any situation.
Best part of the job?
There are many exciting and satisfying parts to this job. A definite highlight is seeing positive outcomes for our students, including improved behaviour, increased confidence and a greater sense of pride in their school and community. On a personal level, it's satisfying receiving positive feedback from our regional staff and schools about training and programme development and seeing this strengthen programme delivery. Moving from the role of facilitator to manager has been an exciting step forward.
Most challenging part?
As a not-for-profit organisation, we continually face the challenge of securing funding to continue. We have more schools wanting our programmes than we can resource.
Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?
Volunteering is a great way to learn more about young people and the youth sector. Volunteering also helps you identify work opportunities in the industry and the skills you need to build on and develop. Many organisations offer a range of options for volunteering which often include personal development and training opportunities.
What keeps you at it?
I love my job and the diverse projects and opportunities it provides. It's great to be part of a strong team with vision and purpose. I am also really excited about developments and collaborative projects happening nationally in the youth sector.
* www.fyd.org.nz
