Yesterday, as part of a new initiative, I was one of six people invited to talk about my career to a group of year 7 students at The Misbourne school in Great Missenden. The aim of the initiative is to introduce children to the world of work during the early stages of secondary school to get them thinking about what their options are and where life might take them.
I was surprisingly nervous. Among my friends I'm somewhat known as a chatterbox and will quite happily talk to anyone and everyone about anything and everything, but standing in front of a classroom full of thirty 11-12 year olds and I have no idea what to say!
Thankfully, once I'd introduced myself and Dance Pad the nerves soon abated and I was answering the questions they threw at me. Coming thick and fast, there were the easy to answer ones such as "what did you study at GCSE?" through to the more challenging ones such as "is your job important?" - that's deep for a Wednesday morning!
But it got me thinking; is my job important?
In recent years statistics have shown an increase in the number of people who are homeless. It's important to understand that these figures are the number of homeless people at any one time. Therefore, it doesn't just come down to an increase in the number of those who are becoming homeless but also an increase in those who are not finding their way out of homelessness.
Of course, prevention is better than cure but we mustn't forget about those who are already homeless and need help to find their way out. By encouraging people to try something new and explore their creativity, Dance Pad workshops and projects help people to rediscover and have belief in their capabilities, helping to rebuild their confidence and inspire them to take a step forward towards a more positive future.
This is why I believe my job and the role of Dance Pad is important.