A Goodbye From Ellie!

With very little work experience behind me, I had an online interview and then one in person with Daisy and the Chair of Trustees at the time, Fiona. I remember being super nervous but coming out thinking I’d done a pretty good job. Me being me, I went home and told my mum, “If I don’t get it, it’ll be because someone else has more experience… because I think they liked me.”

Surprise… I got the job! My mum couldn’t have been prouder of me. She hugged me and cried. I’d grown up in social housing in South London with a single mum. I’d done well in school, was the first person in my close family to go to university, and had just landed a job at a charity - which is the sector I’d always wanted to work in. I’ll stop showing off now, but looking back, I was and am proud of myself too.

I started at YCF during Black History Month (very fitting) in 2022 and attended an event at the Irish Embassy to celebrate. From then on, I attended all sorts of events: Youth Safety Film Awards judged by Keir Starmer, a charity communications event at TikTok, and community days at Google. Most recently, I attended a celebration hosted by Tulip Siddiq MP at Parliament and was asked to say a few words. It’s not every day you can say you spoke in front of an audience in Westminster Hall.

If I listed all my YCF highlights, this short blog post would turn into a book, but my favourite thing about this job has been meeting people. I love going around Camden and hearing people’s stories and learning about why they do what they do. The youth workers, young people, and everyone else I have come into contact with have a fire within them that seems to never go out despite the challenges.

I didn’t inherit too much when I started the role, so I had quite a lot of freedom to create a membership offer that would be unique and beneficial, with Camden at its heart. I knew I wanted YCF to have a Black History Month event yearly - one that would celebrate the wonderful work of Black-led member organisations, youth workers and young people. I approached Batuala from Creators House (this was also the first member organisation I visited at YCF) and said I wanted to host an event there. It made perfect sense - a Black-led organisation that champions young people and gives them autonomy to be creative.

This first event was a huge success and was featured in the Camden New Journal, and the newspaper page is still framed in the YCF office today. We have since had an event for Black History Month every year, and I know it will continue long after I’ve left.

After about a year at YCF, I was promoted to Membership and Communications Manager and hired my line report, Alev. As a team, we built up various projects and programmes, and I’m so grateful that I had someone as bright and willing as Alev to work with and bounce ideas off. I’ll miss everything about working together, even the least glamorous parts like sweating while carrying heavy bags down the high street and clearing up Jamaican patty wrappers after events.

The Young Ambassadors Programme has also filled me with so much joy. Working with around 36 young Camdeners over the past three years has been such an amazing experience. They give me so much hope for an even better future. I feel so proud when I see their confidence grow throughout the programme and being able to support them in any way I can whether that’s helping them prepare to sit on a panel, co-designing events, or cheering them on from the sidelines.

The award-winning film I produced, An Ode to Youth Work, with former Young Ambassador and all-round superstar Aya, sums up a lot of what is important to me: spotlighting youth voice, being authentic and showcasing the importance of youth work. The team I worked with on this Media Trust and John Lyon’s–funded film were all gifted and Black (Alexa, play Nina Simone) and collaborating with them reminded me just how powerful creative storytelling can be when it’s held and led by the communities it represents.

Camden, thank you for taking me in and accepting me as one of your own. I always joke that I’m an honorary Camdener, as I know this borough far better than I know my own. I’ll miss the hectic market and high street, the close-knit community of Queen’s Crescent, the familiar and lively streets of Somers Town, and everything in between.

I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing people over the last three years. I feel like we have all become one big family who will never quite leave each other alone once we have left. Grace and Sam, I can’t wait to join you as ex-YCF staff turned YCF cheerleaders. Alev, Sophie, Shannon, and Mohamoud, thank you so much for being the most amazing colleagues. You’re all incredibly passionate and talented, and I’m in awe of you every day. You’re going to carry on smashing it - giving the CYP sector in Camden the respect, care and support it deserves.

My biggest thank you goes to Daisy, who believed in fresh-faced Ellie way back when and gave me the opportunity to do such amazing things. She saw my potential then and still does - even during the times when I struggled to see it within myself. If you haven’t had a young, headstrong, intelligent woman as a CEO, I’d highly recommend it.