Personal statement

I am a Participation Advisor at the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ), where I support the design and delivery of rights-based, relational, and trauma-informed engagement with children and young people in conflict with the law. My work focuses on creating opportunities for young people to share their perspectives and influence the systems that affect their lives, including in communities, schools, and secure settings. I bring over a decade of experience as a youth worker, educator, and community-based researcher. I specialise in participatory and creative methodologies, co-production, and policy-engaged practice. Before joining CYCJ, I led youth participation and wellbeing work at DRC Youth Project in Glasgow as a Lead Youth Worker. I also teach postgraduate students at the University of Glasgow on community development, research methods, and social justice. I hold an MEd in Adult Education, Community Development and Youth Work, an MSc in Academic and Career Advising, and I am currently completing my PhD in Education at the University of Glasgow. My doctoral research investigates young people's reflections on wellbeing, care, and constraint in a post-pandemic Scottish youth work setting to explore lived experience and structural inequality. Across all my work, I am committed to centring the voices of young people, building ethical and inclusive spaces for participation, and contributing to meaningful change in youth justice.