The NGDP has given me a chance to do what I've always wanted to do: to help people and to develop my own skills while doing it.
I left university knowing I wanted to work in the public or voluntary sectors - I couldn't imagine being happy just selling products to people which didn't really make a difference to anyone's lives. I found out quickly though, these sector can be tough places to get into, particularly if you want to make the most of your own potential, because there is often not much money going around for training and development. The NGDP however, has let me do exactly what I have wanted to.
I have been working for Haringey Council since I joined the scheme in September 2013. One of my favourite things about local government is that the work you do makes a different to communities you are in a way that you can see because you are so involved in delivering services directly to the community, rather than making policies you never see applied.
Since joining the scheme I have worked in working with voluntary sector organisations we commission, and leading a consultation on sexual health and Stop smoking services. The sexual health work has been my favourite project- the consultation has helped us to identify a number of issues in our CASH/GUM clinics and areas we can improve, and it's highly satisfying to see how the improvements that residents wanted are now going to be catered for. Haringey has high rates of STIs, late HIV diagnosis and teenage pregnancies- so improving our sexual health services really will make a massive difference to people's lives.