How NCS Helped Jemimah Feel Inspired For Her Future
Moving to London from Spain in 2019 was a challenge for Jemimah. New school, new language, new culture, making new friends. But thankfully, her love for sports and learning languages meant she was able to join football and basketball clubs, meet like minded people, and pick up English quickly.
One thing that’s never changed for Jemimah, no matter where she’s lived, is her love for learning. Alongside her sports clubs, she also joined the Eastside Young Leaders Academy, which runs programmes to help people develop skills and leadership potential (want to do something similar? Why not check out one of our Boss It away from home experiences! 👀). Here she found a particular love for learning about Black history and activism.
4 min read
Seeing yourself in others
Jemimah’s NCS local community experience was with The Catalyst Collective. They match and support Black teenagers with professional Black women for mentoring relationships - something that can be really valuable in your life. Mentors can help you make connections with people, businesses and organisations – and with yourself! Mentors have been-there-done-that, so will always have advice to pass on to help you be the best version of yourself.
Jemimah’s mentor, Belema, has been a great influence on Jemimah, teaching her “important mantras like through facing your fears, you can do anything and hard work doesn’t go unnoticed”.
Finding confidence building courses
Local community experiences are a great way for you to find out about opportunities and possibilities for your future, right on your doorstep. For Jemimah, visiting law firm Irwin Mitchell for a day during her experience was a good way to:
- Immerse herself in something completely new
- Build some confidence in herself
- Learn about potential career roles and routes into them
- Meet inspiring people and learn from them
- Put essential life and work skills to the test
Broadening your horizons with NCS
“The day kicked off with a presentation by an apprentice who generously shared invaluable tips on entering the legal profession through apprenticeships. This shattered myths and answered questions I’ve always had about doing an apprenticeship” said Jemimah.
That’s pretty impressive, right? But it doesn’t stop there!
Next, came the chance to meet with the professionals.
Jemimah sat with senior lawyer, Angela Jackman, a descendant of the Windrush generation, who had been one of the first Black women at her Oxford college. Jemimah’s love for Black history and activism made this even more special, and reinforced the notion that “I can achieve anything I aspire to”.
Pushing your limits
Finally, the day saw Jemimah and other young women taking part engaging in an organised debate for and against e-scooters. With just half an hour to prepare their case, she stepped into a leadership role and developed the opening debate, thinking quickly on her feet, and pushing her limits in the best way possible.
This meant:
- Teamwork? Check.
- Communication skills? You got it.
- Collaboration? Without a doubt.
- Critical thinking? Absolutely.
- Problem Solving? 100%
“I loved working collaboratively with my team, confidently presenting our ideas and arguments. Though the verdict was a draw, I'm convinced my team won!” said Jemimah.
Why community experiences matter
So what did Jemimah learn from her local community experience? Well, apart from gaining a bunch of super important (and transferable) skills and seeing people who looked like her absolutely smashing it, the experience made her feel hopeful for the future.
In her own words, “I'm motivated to seek more work experience opportunities and explore both university and apprenticeship options. And I have a newfound determination to pursue my dreams. Whether that’s in law or another field, I can't wait to see where the path ahead takes me.”
So, what are you waiting for? NCS local community experiences are currently taking place all over the country. Why not follow in Jemimah’s footsteps and grab your place today!
