This week I celebrate 24 years of working at People First. It’s unbelievable to me that I’ve worked here so long! I’ve been lucky enough to have been in many different roles in the organisation including starting as an advocacy support worker fresh out of college! Then moving to being a development worker advocate and eventually landing in my current role.
I’ve seen so many changes across these years. The organisation is unrecognisable from when I first joined it. I remember coming to work in my baggy ripped jeans, sitting on second hand furniture, in an office that was cold and damp. The work then was edgy we were seeking to create the conditions for people with learning disabilities to empower themselves.
My role was to support people to have a voice, to be taken seriously and involved in the decisions about their own lives and the services they use. Even today this continues to be a core purpose for us. Nowadays this is called lived experience and it’s the same thing I remain completely dedicated to.
Services must be shaped by those who use them.
I believe that people with lived experience are the best placed to help others to improve their lives.
People First is such a fundamental part of my life.
I’m proud of the achievements that we have made as an organisation and I’m proud of the colleagues and volunteers that have been on this journey with me.