Hello,

I’m Fanso and I’m one of the Chief Executive’s Young Advisors at Doncaster Children’s Services Trust. Last month I was part of a group of young people who interviewed for the Chair of the What Works Centre at Nesta in London.

Being asked to take part in the interviews made me feel important, special and valued; there are so many young people who could’ve been asked, but for me to be asked was a privilege.

I interviewed with Brad, another Young Advisor from Doncaster Children’s Services Trust along with two other young people, one from London and one from Halifax and it was great to meet and make friends with other young people from around the country. My experience of working as a Young Advisor with the Trust was really helpful because it meant I wasn’t nervous, I was just intrigued and excited to meet the candidates and get the right person for the job!

It was so interesting to meet and work with the main panel and although we held separate panels it was good to come together and share our thoughts and discuss how we came to the decisions we did. It helped me understand that we were doing something right and what we were doing wasn’t only right for Doncaster but wider than that too.

It was a little different from the interviews I do with the Trust, but a really good experience to interview such high profile people and listen to their experiences. I was really intrigued to hear about what they had to say, and how their experiences have contributed to their positions.

We interviewed three people, I was impressed that they talked about family and personal stuff and about their start in life and the challenges they’ve faced. Their life stories were very interesting. I thought because they’ve been to uni and made it up so high in their professions they would have had a smooth and perfect life, but it opened our eyes that they too have had experiences that have shaped them as people too. It definitely made me think that if they can do it then maybe we can be something special in life too. I wasn’t sure that they would go that extra mile, but it was good to see they could relate to us and what we’ve been through in our lives.

I always enjoy going to London and have been a number of times now as a young advisor, a few years ago I would never have thought I would be doing something like this. It’s not every day young people get such an opportunity and it should happen whenever services for children and young people are being discussed or developed.

It’s a great way to get experience, especially for when I go for interviews, I know what to expect and what interviewers are looking for.