Ciara O'Connor

I have been in the Scouts for many years but in December of 2024, I was very fortunate to gain a place in The Australian Jamboree.

Once in Australia I was given a leaders role which meant I had to be organised and be aware of what was expected of me . I had to help children from all over the world with planned activities, make sure they were safe and most of all they had fun. It was a real challenge for me as I have a quiet personality but this role helped me gain confidence, dealing with new people, children and having to manage my own schedule and working with a team of people of all ages and different nationalities.

After all the hard work fundraising to help towards the cost for the Jamboree, it was definitely worth it and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

In year 12, I was able to do my work experience at the Sandwell African Caribbean Mental Health Foundation. During this time I worked with other students interviewing employees at the foundation to understand their roles. As a team we had to prepare and share questions which helped in learning more about the foundation. We also had separate projects working with Canva making advertisements for events the foundation were organising for the community.