Llinos Davies turns personal experience into a career supporting young people
Llinos Davies has transformed her own experiences as a young person at Tysul Youth Club into a career dedicated to supporting the next generation, following the successful completion of her Youth Work degree at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD).
For Llinos, Youth Work has been a constant throughout her life. Having attended Tysul Youth Club as a young person, she was supported by Youth Workers who played an important role in helping her navigate different stages of her life. Llinos said:
“Seeing the positive impacts they had on me inspired me to give something back and support the next generation of young people in the same way.”
Today, those same individuals are among her managers, and Llinos has spent the past five years working at the youth club herself.
Her experience at Tysul confirmed that Youth Work was the career she wanted to pursue and led her to UWTSD, where she could build on her professional experience while developing her academic knowledge and skills. She said:
“I wanted to deepen my understanding of Youth Work and gain a better insight into the experiences and needs of young people. I already had practical experience, but I wanted to develop that further by understanding the knowledge and theory behind it.
“My ambition was to become a more knowledgeable and effective Youth Worker who could make a real difference in young people’s lives. I wanted to gain the skills and confidence to support young people facing a range of challenges while earning a qualification that would open doors to future career opportunities.”
A key strength of the degree was its combination of academic study and practical experience. During her studies, Llinos completed placements at Llandysul Paddlers and Cwrt Newydd Alternative Education Provision, gaining experience of working with young people accessing alternative education pathways and requiring additional support. She added:
“Being able to apply what I’d learned in lectures to real-life situations was really rewarding and it strengthened my confidence as a practitioner.”
Llinos also took part in a fully funded study trip to Finland, providing an opportunity to explore Youth Work approaches in an international context. Experiencing how Youth Work services operate in another country gave her new perspectives and ideas that she can take forward into her professional practice.
Alongside her placements, Llinos worked with experienced Youth Workers and other professionals, developing her understanding of relationship-based practice, behaviour support, informal education and reflective practice.
Her final-year dissertation allowed her to explore another area of growing importance within the profession: young people’s digital wellbeing. Her research examined the role of Youth Workers in supporting young people with the impact of social media and its relationship with mental health.
The subject has also influenced her ambitions for the future, with Llinos keen to develop a career focused on behavioural support, mental health and wellbeing.
Balancing university with employment and family commitments presented challenges, but Llinos found that careful planning, breaking assignments into manageable tasks and making use of the support available through UWTSD helped her stay focused.
She particularly valued the support provided by her lecturers and one-to-one support throughout the degree.
“The lecturers were approachable, encouraging and interested in helping us succeed. The one-to-one support available throughout the degree was also amazing, it gave me additional guidance and helped me to stay focused and confident, especially during more challenging times. Knowing that support was there throughout gave me the confidence to push myself and achieve more than I thought I could.”
Completing the degree has been particularly significant for Llinos on a personal level.
“This journey has been particularly meaningful for me because education was not always an easy experience when I was younger, so being able to come back into learning, receive the right support and successfully complete my degree has been a huge personal achievement.”
Throughout her three years at UWTSD, Llinos has developed not only as a Youth Worker but also in confidence and resilience as an individual.
“I can see just how much I’ve grown over the last three years, not only as a Youth Worker but as a person.”
Llinos believes the course is well suited to anyone looking to build a career working with young people, particularly because of the balance between academic learning and professional experience.
“I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to build a meaningful career working with young people.”
Having graduated, Llinos plans to continue developing her career in Youth Work. She is particularly interested in supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing and hopes to build experience in behavioural support. She is also exploring the possibility of moving to New Zealand, where she hopes to work in different settings, broaden her experience and continue helping young people reach their potential.
Further Information
Lowri Thomas
Principal Communications and PR Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07449 998476