Official & Earned:

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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 but powerful acknowledgment that the commitment, the training, the resilience, and the persistence were real — and recognised.

Being “official” doesn’t change who I am or why I do this work. I’ll still lead with empathy. I’ll still advocate fiercely. I’ll still challenge injustice and fight for safer, more inclusive spaces for young people — especially those who sit at the margins.

But it does matter to pause and honour the journey.

Because nothing about this was handed to me. It was built. Step by step. Lesson by lesson. Boundary by boundary. With integrity intact.

So yes — I’m proud.

Not because of the title.

But because I never compromised who I was to get here.

And this is only the beginning.

-Sarah Wingfield ❤️ 

#YouthServices #official


Alt text:

A close-up photo of a blue Durham County Council staff lanyard attached to an ID badge. The badge displays the Durham County Council logo, a small portrait photo of a woman with blonde hair and glasses, and the name “Sarah Wingfield.” The lanyard also shows the word “STAFF.” The background is a sparkly, holographic surface, with a small “Kawaii Doll Decora” heart logo watermark in the corner.




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