This autumn saw the launch of our new Community Engagement Adviser team. CEA’s will be community based and will work specifically with young people aged 16 – 19 who are not engaged in education, employment, or training.
The new team come from a variety of backgrounds and bring with them a wealth of experience.
We are pleased to introduce you to the team;
Sally Ellis – Senior Community Engagement Adviser (Plymouth and Cornwall)
My name is Sally and I have 15 years of experience working with young people, both in Education and within the Charity Sector. I have been managing people and front-line service across the South of England for 10 of those years. I hold a degree in English Literature and Education and my passion has always been to support others to reach their full potential. I am so excited to be joining CSW Group and I feel incredibly privileged to lead a team who are as dedicated as I am to be removing barriers and supporting young people to increase their aspirations.
In my personal time I love to read and to write and I have a real passion for modern foreign languages and animals.
Louise Jones – Senior Community Engagement Adviser (Devon and Torbay)
Hi, my name is Louise and I am so excited to be working with CSW Group and especially with the young people, as I love nothing more than helping people to navigate their way through learning or employment so they can make that step forward in their lives.
My background is a bit unusual as my career has straddled two different themes. For fifteen years I worked as a Community and Corporate Fundraiser across many charities and for another 15 years I worked with adults with multiple disabilities and health conditions, helping them to find and sustain employment with Shaw Trust and St Loye’s Foundation. I have loved both parts of my career but I’m very excited to be out and about once more in the community, only this time helping young people to progress into some form of training or employment. I am a people person and to me the glass is always half full so I like to think that my positivity can rub off on others!
I live in Exeter with my husband, Andy, and we both love rugby. We are passionate Exeter Chiefs fans and season ticket holders – their winning prowess being about the only thing that has created excitement for local people in 2020! I am also a passionate gardener and love exploring old historic places and travelling in my beloved France.
Rebecca Ezra – Community Engagement Adviser (Cornwall)
My name is Bex and my background lies within Education. Following my studies, I chose to work within the Further Education sector teaching Functional Skills, GCSE English Language, and various other Vocational Programmes for post 16yrs, SEND learners.
Alongside working within Educational establishments, I am a keen Sports enthusiast and regularly participate in Running, Triathlon and Equestrian based events.
I am so excited to be working for CSW Group and I really look forward to working collaboratively with not only my colleagues but also with the young people across Cornwall. My aim is to provide a tailored support programme to successfully help young people individually manage key transitions into education and/or employment. I look forward to working with you all!
Jackie Staines – Community Engagement Adviser (Torbay)
My name is Jackie, and I am a Community Engagement Adviser based in Torbay. I have worked in a Community Engagement and Youth Work roles for the past thirteen years. I enjoy running, keeping fit and spending time with my family as well as watching football when I get the chance. I am looking forward to being able to help young people who are not in education, employment, or training, to find positive outcomes and new opportunities.
Emma Leeman – Community Engagement Adviser (Cornwall)
Hi, my name is Emma, and I am one of the new Community Engagement Advisers for Cornwall. For the last four and a half years I have worked within the funeral industry. My role was as a Funeral Director looking after bereaved families. I loved this job but every time I looked after a young person due to suicide, the more I felt I needed to be back on the front line working directly with young people again. My background is working as a support worker for the Youth Offending Team and running personal development programmes for a charity. I have also been a business development manager for a training company.
Hobbies outside of work, you will find me hiking or climbing a mountain somewhere or I will have my roller skates on as a Plymouth City Roller Derby active team member – my derby name being Rocksolid.
I am very excited joining the team and am hoping to be part of making a real difference to a young person’s life.
Lorna Arkins
Hi, I am Lorna, and I am a Community Engagement Adviser for Plymouth. I have spent the last decade working within secondary education as a teacher but in January 2019 I decided on a career change and started working for a charity based in Devon on a young people’s mentoring project. When this project ended in the summer of 2020, I knew that I wanted to continue working in careers and supporting young people. So, joining CSW Group was the perfect next step for me! I will be working with young people across the Plymouth locality and am proud to call myself a Plymouth girl through and through
Outside of my working life I am a busy mum of a two-year-old called Dexter and on any given dry day off I can most likely be found at the beach.
Lucas Harris
Hi, I am Lucas, and I am a professionally qualified Youth Worker. In my ten plus years in Youth Work I have accumulated a breadth of knowledge and experience. My most notable experiences were with an LGBTQ+ group, a Young Carers Project, and a community and inter-generational project. As well as working with young people in youth centres and schools, I have also worked within detached street work.
I am excited to be continuing my career with CSW Group as a Community Engagement Advisor, a role I will hopefully find rewarding and engaging, and I am really looking forward to continuing to be an advocate for young people.
As you can probably tell from our individual pieces, we are all extremely proud to be a part of CSW Group and we cannot wait to start doing what we do best, supporting young people to reach their full potential.