How Monkstown Boxing Club Is Shaping Careers | Workplus Ep. 16

What if a boxing club could help change a young person’s life forever?

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk sits down with Nathan Lowry, Life Skills Coach at Monkstown Boxing Club. Nathan shares how the club has evolved from a traditional boxing gym into a powerful community hub, supporting hundreds of young people across Northern Ireland every year. From helping with CVs to building confidence and breaking intergenerational cycles, Nathan’s story is one of deep purpose and practical hope. If you’ve ever wondered what great youth work really looks like, this episode is for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Monkstown Boxing Club supports over 500 young people a year
• The club offers boxing, education, mentoring, and community programmes
• Nathan’s role focuses on employability and well-being for ages 16–24
• Confidence is a major barrier for young people entering work
• Employers often miss chances to engage future talent through work experience
• Nathan overcame low confidence through mentors and volunteering
• He now mentors others through Workplus and other programmes
• Youth work is about consistency, trust, and showing up
• Long-term funding is critical for real impact in youth services
• Seeing a young person grow is more powerful than any paycheque

BEST MOMENTS

00:00:04. “It gets me up out of bed every morning.”
00:01:14. “Everyone thinks it's just boxing. Our slogan is 'not just a boxing club.’”
00:02:43. “We interact with around 500 young people annually.”
00:04:02. “It started off in the local community centre as a boxing club.”
00:06:13. “The employer doesn’t want to hear from mummy. They want to hear from the young person.”
00:12:01. “There are probably two youth workers I could tell you, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”
00:17:19. “They’re the ones who wrote the application and nailed the interview.”
00:27:29. “For me that was priceless, seeing kids come right out and be a better version of themselves.”
00:33:14. “We never expect young people to return as volunteers, but they always come back.”
00:36:22. “If you do something you love, you never work a day in your life.”

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Transcript

0:00

don't feel like what I do as a job I don't feel that it is work. So I genuinely love what I do. It gets me up out of bed every morning. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm a human like everyone else that has times in life for the winter blues and things that got me up. But I genuinely love what I do. I love going to work every day, seeing the young people I work with. I've been a fortunate position amongst the folks I work with all I work with, the mums that the dads, the guys around kids I work with want to. We're part of the community amongst them, and I love that. Welcome to Work, plus the podcast that shines a light on the people doing good work across Northern Ireland. I'm your host, Richard Kirk, founder of Work Plus. I spent years working with employers, schools, colleges and universities, helping young people and career changers to make better informed career decisions. Each week I sat down with real people doing real jobs to explore how they got there, what they've learned, and why their work matters. If you're a parent, teacher, carer, or just curious about what good work looks like today, you're in the right place. Let's dive in. Nathan, great to have you with us today. Thanks for joining us. The pleasure is always. Tell us a bit about, what makes Hong Kong fox and dogs bites. What might look like for a newcomer coming on their first day at the club? So long time sandbox club. Obviously, everyone thinks it's just boxing. Well, our slogan is not just the boxing club. We do sort of. Everything we work for manages it right up till it as a whole. But, you know, the San Jose Theater. But a normal day, sort of, for the boxing club starts

from 8: 1:32

00 in the morning. So every morning we would have a breakfast club. So meet the nines for the kids from either community college or anyone in the community want to get a breakfast before they have the school? Then from sort of throughout the day, we've got our alternative education program. We're fifth year in partnership at Community college, a condensed day GCSE so equivalent for now, but also throughout the day. So for example, I'll give you a Monday for an example. But obviously start off on a Monday morning. We would then have breakfast Club in your corner program. I see a partnership with community college, but also throughout the day we will have our, over 50s, sessions. We would have moms commonality sessions with a bunch of personal trainers. In the evenings, we would have our boxing, sound before the evenings will have after school, and we'll have boxing. And then we would also have two sets of groups. So we'll have our Twilight group and our evening group, which could be a range of whatever's going on in the community. But I'll be a young man's group, good relations group, life skills group, whatever it may be. Okay. So there's a really good range of things going on through a hub in the community. So it's a variety and that's just what they do, you know, throughout throughout the year. We sort of interact with around 500 young people pronounce it. So it's just from a variety of ages. And I'd heard of that. Like how did it all get started then at an NBC, how did it? So obviously I've only been in the club for the last two years, so I'm relatively new. You still have a lot of energy, but the club's been out going for over 40 years and almost 42 years now. So it started off and the local community center as a boxing club, was a boxing club for some time. And then around 2012, National Lottery funded. There was a there was something like that because there was a need for, particularly young males, young males who weren't achieving, GCSEs and reform behind, and that there was a lottery fund right there to help sort of bridge the gap, which are sort of direct and I say the teens as job title, but they apply for National Lottery funding. And from 2012, that's when the almost a youth sort of side of things sort of developed and flourished with the monks and boxing club, and from there and it's just been to extensions. It's been the market for the carbon transformation from the building. So it's just been from that idea that Paul and a few others had in the board to what it is now, what, 13 years later. It's just been so it's been a journey that's been sort of progressing. Yeah. And, it doesn't like the kind of a Paul Mr. Johnson's been the, the biggest highlight behind it up for the house. So for you then you've been there a couple of years. So tell us more about your, your role then, what's what's that entail? So my roles and the backs of the land funded through National Lottery as well. We've been lucky enough to have National Lottery funding from 2012, but I'm from the National Lottery as a life skills coach. I know, I know, I'm a youth worker at heart, but my official title is life skills coach. So what I do is I work with young people aged 16 to 24. And as part of that role, my my two main focuses are employability and wellbeing. Most most importantly, the wellbeing of young people. Because if they are at a stage in their lives to go on the employability, then it won't necessarily work for them. But for me, the other two main stands employability and wellbeing. I work with young people from all different walks of life, young people coming to me, whether it be just in support, someone to talk to, or someone who's really just, And if you get ready for that job, I do have had their eyes on for a long time to set up that interview, the next stage. So for me, I'm just sort of working with young people that, and getting them to the next stage and hope and, well, all wellbeing that the next stage as employment or something that's going to progress and better themselves. want to say that some of the challenges that you're seeing young people coming through within whenever you're meeting them and those early days. So there is a lot of young people because there's a stigmatism around, stigma around sort of, social media, all that sort of stuff. And especially, post-Covid, a lot of young people struggle with their confidence. So I find a lot of young people, simple stuff like, phoning employers really, really struggle with funding an employer. So, unfortunately had young people where they've had the opportunity to go on and progress and then a partnership to a partnership. Those at the point of the employer doesn't want to hear from mummy, my days, whatever they don't want to hear from them is the one I hear from the young person. And the young person hasn't had the confidence to phone up and say, hi. I'm actually interested in X, Y and Z, but that's probably one of the biggest challenges that exist. But also recently I found young people, struggling to sort of see that they've got the ability, like they've got the qualifications, they've got the ability to do stuff, but they're struggling to see that they can achieve these things. And it's throughout my role, what I do is I just try to break it down to some something simple. And I'll just as this example is, don't people look at a job title and go, oh, that's the way I couldn't, I couldn't work in that job. But actually, when we look at the roles and responsibilities, I mean, every single one of them can meet all the criteria. But it's just this job title. There's a job title sometimes because it's cars. So something engineer or, manager of X, Y and Z or whatever it might be, they have like, it's all it's not working class mentality of young people. And of course, I work on an area where there's that cycle so and so young people are scared to sort of go outside of that cycle. They're just used to that sort of routine of parents and grandparents. And the same thing I want to follow. So that's one of the key. That's my job there. But it's not automatically that notion in their head that I'm not able to do that. I'm not I'm not high enough up to do that. I can do that. But actually I meet the criteria many times over the digital that I kind of need my English. But actually the job takes a sense of skills, doesn't just take GCSE, it takes all these other things. So yeah, yeah, I think that's the challenges, as is just getting young people to understand that they've got the ability to do this, they've got the confidence. It is. They just need a second. An interesting well I, I feel the way I got the real self. I think that's what it is, just getting young people ready. And it is a challenge though. But it's part of the job and I think that's what we do with amongst them. Boxing club is just it's all about the young person. It's about building them up a lot. A lot of what's there about life and it's part of my role. Well, there's so many different. So obviously I work with young people who come to me for support, but I also work with young people from every single branch, with amongst them boxing club. So I do work with the boxers that they work with, the other students that they work with. So I know it's not time like me with some funding, but I've done a CV for a 68 year old before, so someone who was working for so long and then wanted a chance to do something different, so, so, so many different things that could have worked for and I don't know, you say you talk there about the young people not feeling confident to be able to see beyond that job, job title. Do you think there's more that employers could do to try and help young people, or people of all ages, to be able to understand their jobs better? I think so, I think the one thing we've always talked about, I think a lot of people start with the same thing, is there's that sort of gap, in a sense, between employers and employees or potential recruits. So young people are employers, obviously, couldn't get people to fill this position or that struggle with getting apprentices in and then young people being like, I don't know if I've got the ability to do this, then simple things like, you know, maybe open to workshop or, offer and work experience for young people, you know, the amount of times that we want the people who have, we haven't. So we've got ten students who are willing to do work experience and X, Y, and Z, and a lot of people time round says no. And I think just giving young people that test, you know, send them out for a couple days and the overalls and the shirt and tie, whatever it may be, giving them lots of being like, this is what it's like. You've actually got the ability to do it. This is how you get there, and this is what it looks like. And I think just giving the young people that opportunity to walk through the doors, because it can be scary, you know, you know what it's like. It's like everyone's been the experience to go from primary school to the first year, and you walk out and you go, whoa, it was a thousand students instead of our 100 students or so. It's like that whatever the transition from school to employment. So you go from, again, from the small fish in the big pond, and it's just getting past that barrier, walking through those doors for young people. And I think that's employers opened up and were a bit more open. The letting people walk through and even just half a day, you know, just simple, simple things. And I know we've talked about that quite a few times and different conversations. We've tried a bit, but it's just trying to get the employers on board. I think it'll be amazing. And I don't know, employers are stretched in terms of what they can offer. And there's people who don't make money and there's different avenues, but I think long term, as employers were to come together and there was like maybe a pilot or there was that I know there's definite work experience programs. So there was a part of young people that wanted yesterday's but scaler, different things as part of work experience. I think in the long run about balance and pleasure. Definitely. Good. love that. We'd love to explore that, further as well. Yeah. So you talked about young people not having comments. What what gave you the confidence to step out, to become a youth worker? Well, what's your journey? I've got to be 100% honest. We always talk about these workshops. And whenever I was just whenever I was 16, something like Star Guarantees, where I wasn't confident at all, like I was. I was the one who sat in the corner and I only spoke to I only spoke to you whenever I was spoken to, you know, when to me and eye contact when. So I think it was just a gradual thing over time. And for me, it was having those right people around me to know. Everyone always talks about this moment of you going to work. So I started volunteering when I was 16 and I was fortunate. My first paddle was 2015 when I was 18, and but that two year span get me ready. I was surrounded by mentors, surrounded by people I could bounce off a change, friendship groups, all these different things. But if I even right now to this point, they're probably two years workers that I could tell you if it wasn't for them and I wouldn't be sitting amongst them, box with those uniform on being a youth worker almost 11 years. Know I just wouldn't be possible, but it's just for me. Building. I come from just having the right people around me, right? Right. These workers, I support the men that work and they were able to point me in the right direction in times of. So I remember sitting, I was fortunate enough I one stretch my levels to degree and these worked great communities for it was a very difficult degree to get into because you have to do the Ucas applications. Do also got to interview and I remember even used for ghost in mock interviews with me. And I was very, very fortunate when I got a first time. But I think if it wasn't for them sitting down for a couple afternoons with. It will ill a potential questions. So tell me what the what what sort of thing is the topic on. Not too much jargon on this or that or whatever, I think. I don't think I would have been on today, and I just that it was that support. It was that support of having, you know, it's like, I don't know if you bother with people who's in the room, then you're more likely to run into, more likely to box. And I think that's what I was to surround myself with the right people. And, is that like, that's what built my confidence up. And I'm going to be honest, I'm not going to sit and lie to you as a youth worker. There's different I seem like there's different versions of myself. And I've got me as a data company, as being Spargo got me in the South and I would say me as myself. I'm still not as confident as what I am as a youth. Programs like that to see that you can bounce with me, you know, I'd be the first person to if you thought I was wrong on the table. I wouldn't say I don't know what I mean, but if you put me in front of a room, I think treatment for the young people would be very confident that way. Yeah, yeah, we're all vulnerable in a world where he's like that. I think it's. You're honest enough to be able to say most people just try to hit that and but yeah, what you've just described there in terms of those mentors getting alongside you, pointing you in the right direction. We had an apprenticeship campaign earlier this year, and I heard that exact same thing from the apprentice applicants that you've done that for them. Yeah. So tell us a bit about how you're actually leaven that out then. Yeah. So young people today like what are some of the impacts that you've been able to make. Well, some of the impacts obviously over the last well the applications open on cyber I don't know. Yeah. So obviously we've had a relationship with work plus several things at work plus nine before I worked for the Monks and Sandbox Club. My previous job. So over three, three and a half years, whatever it may be, I've had a relationship work plus, and I've seen that balance out of what you do in terms of like young people and skills and family members. It's just the traditional rate of school, trade or university. There's no and I don't trade an apprenticeship. You earn is your learning. And a lot of people were seeing that going. But actually I want to do finance or I want to do something else, like something I own, let alone. So whenever I was seeing what these were then and I was seeing these young people I was working with who were interested in marketing or interested in finance, were interested in environmental stuff. I was like, this is a perfect opportunity. I wonder, I was like, what are you talking about? I can earn 18,000, whatever it is a year. Well, there were the heights of possible. So I actually worked alongside, I would say. So as far as 12 young people from the United area, and I'll be 20 college to different schools, as well as young people within the area. And I made them aware of the opportunities that you can actually earn while learning. And, you know, young people have it as part of than to invest in finance. So they were they were like, that's a I'll try it. And so I sat with them. I helped them with their application. Actually setting up the portal was the first thing out of the portal, how the application helped them sort of find what sort of roles they'd be interested, what A-levels match with, what they're currently wanting to do. And then whenever I came to the application help application, but also some of them had interviews. So then it was an interview problem. Maybe so young people. Now there's I was always told growing up that no matter what job you're applying for, go on to say, I don't know why. I was always told that I was actually told me that. Tell you, no matter what you to go for, going to see another young lad as we go and jeans and a polo or whatever. So it was just the beginning. People like that, they've, you know, whether it be school trousers, a nice tie, whatever it was, get them ready for the interview. And I was fortunate enough that almost every single one of those young people got a position within workforce and within what worked as a partnership program. Whether it be another somewhere with AIB, there was some with the environmental players and Lisburn. Yeah. There's another one, another one in town. But there's different ones. And those who didn't actually get a place, it wasn't because of like they didn't get successful. It was there just the opportunity wasn't for them. And and they want different avenues. Yeah. You. But through me helping them as with the workplace steps through the application. And if you got them ready then open up. Maybe workplace isn't the only one off. Not maybe there's other places often. I know one young person in particular. He was able to get an actual is he started an electrician apprenticeship. Yeah. Oh, great. And because I was using that, I was not specifically being able to. He's got the qualifications to start talks to, to be able to find a place. But through the skills and the, the time that I spent with him for the application that they've been, I obviously they've done it all and just and just somebody gives them couple of advice. The they take all the glory that was demonstrated and they're the ones who wrote the application. They're the ones who won the the interview and had all the nerves and the, the sweats before they'd done it all and through them. And to know that they've been able to get to have some fantastic opportunities. Yeah. So have and that's just a small but, you know I so it's but it's so important you've had personal experience of that and now you're doing it. And for others you know I'd like to be quite sort of well that's the sense of like that though. Every, every youth worker says and hope everybody says, but I would like to say that if I have an impact on one young person's life, my career has been worthwhile. And that's that's why I like to think. But whenever a young person says, you out with this, I like the break. No, it wasn't me. And and I think that's what all youth workers say is it's not it's not a strategy with a sort of strategy. So that all of these young people were involved amongst in boxing clubs, in other programs. Well, it was getting the soft skills up to maybe getting involved in the young man's group, the conferences, Belgium, the meeting friends, wherever. I was just at the final hurdle. Yeah, there was maybe ten other youth workers, but for me it was ten things I didn't want to choose the night during school, whatever it may be. Mentor. I was just the last hurdle and that's just the joys. Me work on the employability aspect, but there's so much other these workers that moved to the boxing club that help that young person to that's to that point. Brilliant. So, so so what are and all of that I'm here in things like helping them build confidence, getting alongside them like what are the if someone's thinking about being a youth worker, what are the what are the qualifications and what are the skills that you need to be a great youth worker. Yeah. So I'll start off with the qualifications, because in terms of the skills, it just depends on what I want to go into in this form. So just for interested in so rather be outdoors, whether it be community peers, whether it be digital, it could be so much alternative education, it could be so many different things that you can into it. But in terms of the the qualification now in terms of there's also certified qualifications, they would go level one, two and three for level one and two, level two. You do the level two interview right here. And you can you can assign skill part elements in these work without qualifications don't you. Pass access. And I know that sort of checks the level two. It is through. The level three is like a if you want to be sort of part time but have responsibilities. But there's also the avenues of progression, the rationale you see a level four, which is a University of Ulster and Youth action partnership. They did the level four certificate, which is sort of like a foundation degree in a sense. And then now you can progress on the university. Oh yeah. But then to the third degree you can do there's the postgraduate, there's the undergrads, but also that's the community. It's one degree within the Northern Ireland. But there's also different avenues. You can do it in Cardiff. You can do different things in Liverpool. That all sort of like what they want to do. So it's not just restricted to here though. It's a you can add a wide thing you can do. I know Cork University, different things okay. So if you want to just going to do is we're going to do a part time and sort of progress. But you can do it with a level two. You know it's a six month course. Maybe you mean a once a week. You know, there's a certain amount you have to do learners at the dinner table and, and a book club. But in terms of the companies for sure that's achievable. You know, I know for me the youth work degree benefited so much because whenever I was in uni, I remember the first couple weeks at central relating the theory to practice. It's a series of events, students as well, but then we were sitting in that lecture, the, the, the sort of action was going on about this. And they were sitting going, actually, I was working as a young person. This relates and I think that helped me sort of flourish as useful group because I was able to do placements, engage in different things. A basket and I done three different places across three different years and yeah, yeah, that's I like the visit and restorative justice and sort of practices. And then I went onto the digital, which I ended up working in digital for five years. I was with Bates, I was with the Bates Project. I worked for five years, start off as a social media youth worker and went right up to, specialist youth. Right, guys? Okay. So how does that so how does the social what is the social media? You're a social worker than I was that that was funded through PS4. But that was so essentially what you done was a lot of the digital sort of side. So like, everything was on an iPod or engagement group was three, something Tesla through the phones. Okay. So no, not face to face. No, it was a lot. I know it was face to face within a group, but the technology came along. Listen, okay. If I was I'd done the titles on the street. Those iPods are making people so I could get young people to maybe succeed to me on Canva, on the gifts and not waste. You know, people with technology based on where they work. Right. But the social media aspect of it was then I was part social media, didn't like the posts and yeah, trans and all that sort of stuff. Then then these work but okay, good. But a good way to get started, just like you did, is to volunteer initially as it is that that gives you a well, what does that do for you? So so I got to be benefit for me. I had my eye set on going into an, an apprenticeship in a trade, and I actually had a trade set up. I had a, I was going to be an electrician. I was going to do all these different things. I was ready to do it. And then it was round about that same time that I started going to just do these sort of sessions and groups and just started off work on this club to play football. Got this from the get. And then next thing you know, you got a group. They were then they were going to residential and doing all these trips. So I started volunteering maybe 1 or 2 nights a week and so for me, the benefits of that was like, obviously it was a bit weird at first because I was volunteering, had a bit of responsibility on my friends. So all my peers were with me and I was like 16, 17 not telling them what to do, but that that it was a difficult it was difficult start off because you were you were in a position of sort of trust and different responsibilities and stuff like that though. But I'll give you that in terms of like a context of what I actually done. So I've been lucky enough to be sort of varied in terms of what I do, what I've done in the last ten years in these work. So I started off originally and sent the best. I then sent the best youth clubs across sort of north and west Belfast. Started off me on. I stayed in Glencairn, went to Mount Vernon, done a couple of things in White City, white well and a lot. And then I progressed on to. So throughout that time I did a couple things with alternatives and all that sort of stuff. I started practice, I've got a couple of cases of restorative practice. That was my relationship through alternatives was one of the ones who got me in the youth. Work began with, and then to build it up and then obviously within the bridge project with one of us within the base project, I worked across that variety of I worked across all Northern Ireland, and I've been, we launched agency to, youth hostels, temporary accommodation to, young farmers to drop in probation and all that sort of stuff to then coming up the Monkstown Boxing Club. But I'm a life skills coach and a community project. And I always remember my, one of my lectures in university go on. One day you figure out what you want to do in these work. And that was one, part of my journey is in terms of what, what type of youth work that you want to do and that I want to go in. I'd say it's a sort of a sound a bit earlier in terms of the different skills and different places you learn skills. So at the time I've done it and I think he's works. One of those faster changes you learn by doing, you know, it's like learn how to drive. So you learn so much better of you. Write the road by yourself. You learn what you think. You learn everything, but you learn more. So you learn so much whenever you actually get that license, the right road. And I think that that is where we work. You get your qualifications and you learn so much by the situations that you did was with young people, you know, the behind the scenes stuff, whether it be trying to get funding and all that sorts of things, and you learn by that. And I think the skills to become a useful guide. I think one of those ones is, something that I discovered how to love it. So if you want to become rich, don't be surprised, because you know, it's not one of those ones. You're going to go and become a millionaire. I had a iPad and other things to be compared, and seeing that young person, they will be compared and you know that young person who wouldn't leave the house, come on the group two, three times a week, it's, you know, even simple stuff. Don't be compelled by that simple. Just as simple as do like it's just a young person showing up. So that means the world is. And there's so many examples that I could actually give that in terms of the young people that we've work with it. Just so, on a Wednesday night, I work with a group, young people, whose additional needs, and they went from sort of working with they went from all of them sitting in the bedroom in the summer, 23 hours a day, owning on the scale called homes. The other bedroom kind of games, whatever it may be. Tonight. There were in this group for the last year, another meeting I'm going to the summers ago. No, the going on there, I mean not going to the park. There's things like, the taxi sort of group chats, the playlist on Spotify. And for me that was priceless. So it's just seeing kids come right out and being a better version of themselves. For me, that's that's worth everything. And what do you think was there was there one switch and that that there's resulted in all this because I think what happened was so we we like to be young person led. So in terms of what Monkstown Boxing Club does, it's up to the young people now. Obviously there's funding targets and sort of things like that, but the majority of stuff that we do, it's the young people who tell us what they want to do. So whenever I was delivering a program I would have done in six weeks, we would have done six weeks planning. So the young people, what a plan for the six weeks ahead. And one of them was like, get to know me. So those decide one night that they'll go away for the week to the presentation, maybe bring in their favorite toy, whatever it may be, and just tell the group about themselves. So the next thing you know, those young people don't learn the 3D printing or model model creating or maybe their favorite film was this or that. The next thing you know, there was a group of ten young people who all have the same interests, then have a clue about what that was through their idea of seeing what this is made to tell stories. And some young people brought in presentations. Some people brought in their favorite, today, things like that. And this was a group of young people who's 12 to 16 all had the same interests. So good. And it was crazy. So then they realized actually, he like doing this. I actually go to this group on a Wednesday night, and another community that does just want to come along with me. And it was the young people who then felt that I'm going to balance. I was just I was just going to close the building. I was, but it was that it was Monkstown Boxing Club been able to offer that space among people to and so and saying that's group of people and then neither just and we group chats are all texted. Want to take a bit of a break for the summer school of the summer? They've been texting group chats and doing different things and send each other updates on their holidays and stuff like that, which, you know, that's that's priceless. Priceless. Though it looks like a bit money won't be good things that go the. But so are there pockets. So this is it's great that this is happening and in your area, but are there other pockets across the country that are doing similar things to. Yeah, I, I find those about obviously we're we're unique in the sense of there's not very many boxing club stand. But we do. But in terms of youth provision that I would say quite a lot of us are on the same sort of wavelength. So creating that safe environment for young people, giving a place for young people to speak for themselves and stuff like that. So that aims to influence and confidence and, the influence of impacts from outside and using social media and all that sort of stuff. But, so everything a result, places like these works built on the, the value of voluntary participation. That's to me. And that's the core that's one of the core values of use for is voluntary participation. And the young people who come to our door, they come there voluntarily. And I think that's what this work does as a whole. All across. You can add on and on and on as a whole. Yeah. As we all, we all do that we're there for the young people, regardless of where you come from, what organization you're working for. And I think that's one thing we all know with. Yeah, these young people's at the heart of what we do is, you know, if you look at what this work was as part of that, as part of the Maidan and that sort of stuff, we have learned about the history of these words came from and all that. And what is progress? Three it just everyone's just leaps and bounds. And what do you say in ten years, time is going to be a completely different thing, because you know what? The young people are going to be completely different. We're constantly changing with them. It's a statement of exciting to see the young people coming through now that are going to be the volunteers, and then they're going to be the youth workers or the coaches of the future. Yeah, and we are really starting to see that. So we are so with amongst the banks and club, we actually do a holiday. It's called the Holiday Hunger Club. What we do is whether it be Easter, Halloween summer, obviously the kids would rely heavily on these criminals. So, not all of them, but obviously within the community that we work in and the communities we work. And that's that's a sector there's no point of sort of trying to avoid it. But so what we do is we offer lunches. We would cook lunches every day, and then we would just common thing. But as part of that is then young volunteers is coming in and helping us to decorate the food, helping us prepare the food, clean up all that sort of stuff. And they're already starting to get involved. And a lot of young people, maybe 13, 14, coming in to help with that sort of stuff through the development of different groups that have been involved in trades. So we would start quite young, we would start with eight year olds and they would be involved in the summer scheme. Then young people would tend to progress in that, like a drop in on a Friday night. And then from there they would then filter into the different groups at the evenings and through the afternoons and the school support and all that sort of stuff. And then the events. Then we don't ever expect the young person to volunteer to come back and do anything for us, but they always seem to come back and want to get involved in books and books. Club somewhere. Another, whether it be helping out with the junior boxing. So maybe just being there to support and make sure everything is okay, whether it be volunteering and and a group. So am I. My additional needs group on a Wednesday night out to volunteer? That's my not too I mean as a volunteer. That way you can give up their time every single once in their. And that's for young people, I don't know. This is one too. It's going to be part of the club. And I think that's one thing that most impactful visually get out is just, you know, getting the young people in and showing them that sort of support and love that so much that they feel confident and safe, that no matter what age they are, they can still come and be part of it regardless. Still. Yeah. So if you were so if I wasn't sitting here and it was the communities minister, so if if the community members are there, what would be your big ask to to to do more of of of this course work. So obviously and Monkstown Boxing Club along with loads of other youth organizations across Northern Ireland, we rely on year to year from the you know, it comes at the end of March of a year and some people don't know what's going to be valuable. And I think the one thing I would ask is though, because it's very difficult to plan long term and plan in the future whenever you don't even and year to year. So one thing I would ask is about the possibility of extension or the ability, the long term plans, whenever it comes, young people start relying on a reason until a year. And I think that's I don't know exactly. I would probably have to think it, but if I would ask the question but would be along those lines, but on those lines about asking, you know, the ability to do all this year to year, it restricts us as it are not going to us as organizations, amongst them boxing global organization. The saying without them and realizing has an impact on young people because we can only plan so far. We do want a plan and now we try our best to have that panel ready. We never know that young people know that this is what's going on in the background, but I think it would give us the opportunity to deliver and sort of give more opportunities and more secure opportunities to young people without having that youth workers guilt. I feel like, am I going to be here? And able to actually deliver that program? So that's that's where the idea of and funding, getting stability and the ability to plan long term, not just for the organizations but for the young people. Yeah. And stuff like that. It's we know it's going to be two, three years before we don't have to be. Yeah. So we've been able to plan those programs of 6 to 9 months programs and maybe longer, because what I've signed with groups is what have I first start off. And you thought it was a lot of 6 to 12 week programs. But the young people are starting to appreciate these year, year and a half programs for them. Maybe do some qualifications or maybe do some soft skills like life skills, cooking or that sort of thing. And I like the build up so young people are wanting to be engaged longer. Yeah. So it was having that opportunity to have funding longer, then you're going to have the young people in the door, you know, more involved in the programs, less likely to be involved in anti-social behavior or less likely to fall under the wrong crowds, less likely to, be sitting in their bed and things like that versus things they got down to the fact that we had longer programs that balances young people's mental health in a positive way. It's, gives young people safe space, and it just creates that environment where young people, I want the golden. Yeah. So go ahead. Well, last question, is a role that I'm always really interested in. Task like asks is for you, what's so good about work? What's so good? So just working for you and what I. For you? Yeah, for the work you're doing. Like what? What what's so good about? About your work to you. So for me personally, I don't feel like what I do as a job and I don't feel that it is work. So I genuinely love what I do. It gets me up out of bed every morning. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm a human like everyone else that has times in life for the winter blues and things that got me up. But I genuinely love what I do. I love going to work every day, seeing the young people I work with. So I've been a fortunate position amongst the folks I work with all I work with, the mums that the dads, the guys around the kids I work with want to. We're part of the community amongst them, and I love that. I love going to the work every day and, you know, you get we catch up with people. Yeah, we engage with young people. You're seeing what's going on, you're watching people grow. And I for me, for work, I do stuff that doesn't feel like a job to me personally, and I'm not gonna I'm not gonna lie, it doesn't. I genuinely love. But it's day to going to work every morning and we're open 9 to 9, Monday to Friday, and some of us very, very odd hours and and there's, there's I be working long hours and it doesn't you don't feel like you're actually at work. It's all that's great. And if it was figured that a young good way to drill, if you want the great in the world to work, do something that you love because they'll do something you love. You never work more than the life is. The angles. And it's for me. That's what I've been lucky enough to find, is that I love what I do. And you know, I'm fortunate position where I've obviously worked to get where I am and it was a long, long. I'm I'm dyslexic. So I really, really struggled with achieving that higher than I say bar having my daughter is one of my, one of my greatest accomplishments. Just the icing on the cake is neither of that degree. I've been able to get to the position where I am on a job. I genuinely enjoy life, and having one is not a chore. And it's so. So yeah, that's great. That's great. On and on it is. As you said, it's not just for you. You've talked about a lot of the people that have been impacted by your work, and all I can say is thank you, because I've gotten to know you over the last couple of years, but I've just been great to see the impact that the club is having. But you and the other youth workers are making a real difference in the lives of young people. And I suppose I'm just I'm, I'm just a small part of Monks and Bucks and so many more of us, and and we all work together as a team, the better. So I might be better at one thing than an early youth worker. And that is maybe better than some of these forgotten monks in boxing club. But we all work together for the benefit of the young people in the community. Serve it. Oh, perfect. Right. And yeah, thank you so much for coming in today. For each of us Thanks for tuning in to work plus. If today's story gave you fresh perspective or helped you rethink what's possible. Leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform or hit like and subscribe. It really does make a big difference. For more stories, resources and tools to help guide the next generation, visit workplace Dot. Up. Until next time.