From dropping out to showing up: Raphael's journey to youth advocacy work

Imagine feeling that people don’t understand you, or what you need. That’s exactly what it was like for Raphael, navigating school with suspected ADHD.

At the age of 16, he made the decision to leave.

But Raphael was finding it hard to look forwards. He knew higher education wasn’t the answer – and he didn’t just want to go through the motions and join a college, just because it’s the done thing. He needed help figuring out his next steps – and this is when Change Project became part of his story.

Raphael was paired with Change Maker, Alina, who soon put him at ease, allowing him to open up about his hopes and dreams for the future. Raphael was keen to jump straight into work, but knew there was groundwork to do.

So, with Alina’s help, he wrote a CV and cover letter, prepped for interviews and started job searching.

At the same time, a vacancy opened at Shaw Trust for a Youth Ambassador. Alina knew Raphael would be the perfect fit: great at communication, enthusiastic about life, and caring about others. She supported him with his application and interview, and it wasn’t long before Raphael heard the fantastic news: he’d landed the role!

Today, Raphael no longer feels overlooked. He’s helping young people, and has found his voice. It’s his voice narrating our #NotGeneration campaign video – which raises awareness of young people who are NEET.

Raphael says: “Working with ‘vulnerable’ people stuck out in my mind, as I myself felt ‘vulnerable at times’. I could see the change in my life…and I want to be part of that journey for them.”

Almost 1 million UK young people are ‘Not in Employment, Education, or Training’. Labelled ‘NEETs’, we know them by the things they’re not doing: like finding work or attending school. They’re at risk of becoming the #NotGeneration.  

This story is just one voice in our #NotGeneration campaign, and shows what can happen when we support young people into work. Through specialist youth employment support – such as resilience training and job coaching – we’re helping young people move towards a brighter future.