Finding my voice

Phoenix resident Kajoriya joined our youth leadership panel, #Bein, two years ago and has taken the time to write about why she joined the group and her experiences since becoming a member. Kajoriya also encourages other young Phoenix residents to join the group.

My name is Kajoriya, I’m 17 and I’m a Phoenix resident who’s grown up in Downham. I first heard about #Bein at an event that I took part in Phoenix called Diversity Day and the person who ran the event suggested that I joined #Bein. I really liked the idea of working on projects with other young people similar to my age since I would be able to share my ideas and opinions to make a change in my community.

I joined #BEin because I wanted to get more involved in my community, connect with like-minded people my age and improve my opportunities.

Since joining the group I’ve had the chance to get involved in so many things! One of my favourite things that I’ve done was running online workshops with special guests as part of Summer Fun last year. Every Thursday in August I ran a two-hour online workshop for other young Phoenix residents to take part in. We covered topics like how to get the job you want for the future, be money smart, how to develop a life plan for success, and a personal development workshop.

Jen, who runs #BEin, was there to help me and was really encouraging. Running the workshops really boosted my confidence. I was nervous to do it at first, but after the first workshop I realised that I could do it and I just needed to believe in myself more. It felt amazing to know I was helping other people my age on important issues. Plus, it was during lockdown so it felt good to connect with other young people and have some fun – even if it was virtually!

I also had the opportunity to sit on the judging panel for this year’s Community Chest. I got to evaluate the projects that had applied and give my opinion on which ones I thought would benefit our community. It was really interesting because I was able to use my voice to say what us young people need, especially during the pandemic.

Joining #BEin has helped me to develop my confidence by being part of a team and talking to new people virtually. As a member I’ve also received lots of one-to-one mentoring which has really helped me make life decisions, including support to improve my UCAS application.

Because of #BEin I feel like I have an important role within my community and am looking forward to taking part in future projects such as WellBein 4 Girls which will provide free wellbeing packs to girls in our community. It has made me more aware of the power of my voice and opinions.

If like me, you want to do more in the community, have more opportunities and be part of a group of like-minded people, you should join our group. We’re always looking for more people to join and you can really benefit as a member of the group. Also, we have fun while we’re with the group and get to enjoy food when we meet up.

If you’d like to find out more about #BEin, and join the group, get in contact.