Before LWTT

Mary Fox was born and brought up in Fishcross in Clackmannanshire.  She left school at 16.  For the next 3 years she worked in an optical technicians as a clerical worker, was made redundant and joined a local newsagent before securing full time employment again at another Optical Technicians.

Mary has two children and for the period of time she was completing her degree course at Linked Work and Training, Mary was a single parent. 

During her participation in the LWTT programme Mary found ‘what I was doing was making sense.  I was able to share my experiences with other students and found that no matter what area you were working in we had the same aims.  I became more aware of what youth work is about, the effects that it had on the young people and the wider community.  I also felt more confident and was able to analyse and be more critical’.

For Mary the learning was ‘liberating’ and gave her a sense of purpose.

Mary’s involvement in youth work started at the age of 17 when she was asked to help out at the local children's club.  After a year she became involved in the Senior Youth Club where she became involved in its development and encouraged young people’s participation in wider community regeneration.  At 18 Mary was the Chairperson of her local association of Youth Club Scotland.  Mary took on responsibility for the Youth Club when the senior worker resigned.  Mary did this unpaid as she was considered to be too young and not able at that stage to undertake training.

Mary eventually completed her Youth Leader's training which led to part time, paid work.  She gradually became more involved in a range of youth work activities and issues including supporting members committees, organising youth conferences and events, training for young people, summer programmes and other wider community initiatives.  When she was not at her paid employment she was still working with young people as a volunteer.

When Youth in Touch and Clacks Club Council were awarded a grant for a Youth Council Project Mary got the job as part time administrator which she combined with part time detached youth work.  While working at the Youth Council Project Mary became involved in voluntary work with the management committee of a Women and Girls Resource Project and the Clackmannanshire Anti Racist (CAR) group, widening her experience.

As Mary reflects on this she said that at the time 'I didn't know what I was doing but knew I was good at it'.  Young people found it enjoyable and kept coming back.  They were enthusiastic about the work and most went on to be volunteers.  ‘I found it extremely rewarding, challenging and stimulating ‑ it gave me a buzz'.

Learning and Training at LWTT

Mary joined the Linked Work and Training Trust apprenticeship degree course in 1995 and graduated in 1998.  After graduating she became involved voluntarily with the local CVS and an Anti‑poverty Project.  The Youth Council closed in 1999 as it came to the end of its funding.  New opportunities and needs were emerging with an interest in involving young people, particularly those excluded for whatever reason, in community regeneration and decision making.  This was stimulated by the Government’s interest in social inclusion and citizenship and led to Mary’s involvement with a cyber café for youngsters.

Mary then secured part time employment with the local authority in the Children and Youth Work Team.  This was an opportunity to use her skills, knowledge and experience in an adult learning situation.  Although challenging she found it a very positive experience.

Life after LWTT

In 2000 Mary moved on to a position in the new multi functional Information Technology ‘Click’ Centre in Clackmannanshire.  Here she was employed as a Learning Mediator, with responsibility for young people.  This was a new initiative and aimed to bridge the formal and informal learning experiences.

In 2003 Mary was asked to head the local development of a national programme - Dialogue Youth.  This involved providing information and advice and encouraging participation in the decision making process at local and national levels.  Within the first few months of taking up this new position, Mary was the Acting Team Leader of the Children and Youth Work team.

Following the Dialogue Youth Coordinator post Mary went on to work on the 16+ agenda and the community safety agenda.  Mary was appointed team leader of the Children and Youth Work Team in May 2008 and in 2009 this became the team leader of Community Learning and Development. Mary took the team from youth services to delivering the full range of community learning and development.

Mary feels that the skills, experience and confidence she gained at LWTT is so important to her that she needed to give something back.  Since graduating Mary has been a tutor and mentor to students on LWTT courses and a work place supervisor on both the second and third and four student intakes.