As a Youth Development Officer at St Vincent de Paul, Niamh Mulholland helps to give young people a voice and the opportunity to make a difference.
Read how she became a Youth Development Officer
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I began my career at a small independent homeless hostel in Portadown, working as a support worker. This role focused on offering an holistic approach in supporting the residents back into permanent accommodation and into the community. I then worked in two schools as a classroom assistant before completing my PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and taking a teaching position at Larne Grammar School. I taught English Language and English Literature for two years across the age ranges. Before embarking on my current role at St Vincent De Paul (SVP) I worked for a year and a half as a Training and Development Practitioner with Advice NI. Within this role I delivered training to those working within the Advice sector and also to community groups, mainly around the topics of welfare reform and financial wellbeing.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I loved English at school and still do.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
I studied for a degree in English Literature and Language at University of Liverpool and five years later I went to Queen’s University Belfast to complete a PGCE. I also have Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) Level 5 Certificate in Learning and Development.
How did you get into your area of work?
I am passionate about charity and education. With my experience of working in the Voluntary sector and as a teacher I consider my current role at SVP as a marrying together of my passions. I previously worked with adults in education but I missed working with young people that I enjoyed when working as a teacher so this role at SVP is such a unique opportunity to essentially do my perfect job.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
I didn’t realise when I was setting out at the beginning of my career that this was what I wanted to do as I wasn’t aware that this particular role existed, however it is actually my dream role. I wasn’t necessarily happy with the academic structure of teaching but I loved working in the voluntary sector so I began to search for the perfect role without realising that I would actually find a role which would combine my loves.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
I would say that desirable criteria like having a degree in teaching would be helpful for the role or a background in working with young people in an education environment. An understanding of both the voluntary and education sectors is also important. I have found too that having an understanding of the groups and the challenges faced in society today is critical because young people can easily sense how committed adults are and wouldn’t engage as fully if I couldn’t guide them in their work and believe in what they are hoping to achieve.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
It’s such a unique role that I think there are many different routes into the job but there are certain skills that are really essential. For example, I would say that having a skillset to engage with young people in the workshops I host or encouraging them to participate in group work is important so someone with experience in working with young people or someone who has experience as a trainer or handling group interactions may be suited to this type of job.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Being empathetic and caring are two of the most important personal skills required. Being socially conscious is also important and it certainly wouldn’t suit someone who’s jaded. Being able to gain trust from the groups I’m working with is another key attribute as the young people are responsible for helping their communities. They depend on my advice regarding thoughtful social action so it’s important that I believe in them and have the necessary communication skills to read situations, personalities and the young people’s moods and feelings.
What does a typical day entail?
There is so much variety in my job. I could be linking in with members of SVP in the local community or with the local conference in the area to engage young people from the local school in helping pack hampers or in seeking a way of engaging them in complimenting the work of SVP in the wider network. A typical day may include me visiting two schools. One could be new to the programme so I would be meeting young people to explain the programme and try and recruit volunteers to form a young SVP group. I could be delivering a workshop to another school and tackling a topic that will inform the work they are going to carry out. Or I could be facilitating the election of roles within the group. I book my school visits to suit the teachers and the school calendar so when I’m not visiting a school and supporting the groups I’m in my office at SVP headquarters in Belfast creating resources, planning my next session, following up with potential new schools and catching up on admin.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
The best part about my job is undoubtedly getting out and working with young people in schools across Northern Ireland. The Young SVP Programme is student led and they choose what they want to achieve from it. I love seeing their ideas and being engaged on a wide range of topics. It gives me real joy in observing their enthusiasm and helping put their ideas into action. They are dealing with real issues and know how they want to address them like caring, mental health, inequality, being self-absorbed, climate change and politics, all the topics that are impacting us on a daily basis. I work with a wide range of groups from those in high achieving grammar schools to those living in areas of social deprivation and although their approaches and priorities may be very different, they have the same keenness and seeing them taking collective action and truly having impact at a local level really inspires me.
The most challenging part of my job is trying to integrate into the school calendar which is already packed due to the nature of the school year. I try to be as flexible as possible as I’m aware teachers are constantly juggling.
How has COVID-19 impacted your business/role?
The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the work I’ve been doing on behalf of the charity due to the closure of schools and therefore the loss of any physical face to face contact with the young members of SVP in local communities across Northern Ireland.
What adjustments have you had to make?
I had planned to host a Youth Day in May which I then hosted virtually and technology was critical in the success of this event, which our young people were really engaged in. In order to keep the connection I developed an online newsletter highlighting the activities that our groups undertook in the academic year 2019/2020 which they were able to download at home and I will be using technology to resume and continue contact with the young people as the new academic year approaches. I am also working with our local SVP conferences across Northern Ireland to determine how we can best assist the tech needs of young people to help get them ready for the new term.
Why is what you do important?
As a Youth Development Officer with SVP I’m giving young people the space to have a voice and the opportunity to make a difference. I believe this generation is facing some of the biggest challenges ever and they have a real sense of understanding of their social responsibility and that need to give back in their community. I am proud to be helping facilitate them in feeling like they are contributing to something in a meaningful way.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
Gain as much experience as possible through volunteering for a local charity or working with young people in youth groups and learn from the experiences of those you are working with and also those you are supporting. Focus on what’s important. Be able to listen to the next generation. I’d also say go and work somewhere different, outside of Northern Ireland.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
I would definitely be running an animal sanctuary. I love all animals but dogs definitely come top of the list.
Describe your ideal day off.
Lie in, nice coffee to start the day then take my dogs out for a lovely walk. Once back home I’d curl up with a book and afterwards head out for lunch with friends or family.
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