Official & Earned:
Official & Earned. For a long time, I showed up before I had a title. I put in the work before there was recognition. I advocated, trained, supported, safeguarded, and stood up for young people because it was the right thing to do — not because it came with a badge. But today, I’m allowing myself to say this out loud: All that work paid off. I’m official now. Youth services and training aren’t things you dabble in. They demand emotional labour, patience, consistency, and integrity — especially when you’re someone who actually cares about outcomes, not optics. I’ve spent years learning, unlearning, pushing for better practice, challenging harmful systems, and advocating for young people who are too often unheard, dismissed, or written off. There were moments I questioned whether it mattered. Moments where the labour felt invisible. Moments where I gave more than I had, because the work needed doing. And yet — here I am. This isn’t just a lanyard. It isn’t just a role. It’s a quiet b...