We are delighted to introduce Avon and Somerset Police who have supported us through our City Of Change campaign.
Why did you decide to join the City Of Change campaign?
It’s a good opportunity to bring fresh and young talent into the organisation. It allows us to get new perspectives and new ways of thinking. The best way to problem solve as an organisation is to bring new ideas to the table. The police service can be seen as quite a traditional career choice which tends to bring in similar candidates and we want to expand the range of views and voices.
What do you think young people may contribute to your company?
A different way of thinking! We do a lot of partnership work with local authorities, charities and frontline workers in youth work. What we tend to miss is the young person’s perspective. We want to engage with younger voices and tap into that insight that will allow us to engage with young people. We want to give young people more opportunities as we believe that this is the key to creating a better society and a brighter future for them. You have to work with vulnerable young people if you really want to stop inequality from having a devastating effect on their lives. Criminalising young people does nothing to tackle this.
What do you think companies may be missing by having a lack of younger voices/influence in the company?
The ability to make effective change. Unless you understand the problem you can’t present real solutions. You need the voices and thoughts of the people to really understand them. Without this, your actions have no legitimacy. Unless you represent all the demographics you aim to serve, the whole system falls apart.
What advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
See everything as an opportunity to learn and grow, You will make mistakes. You will get things wrong. But it’s all about resilience and believing in yourself. Trust yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to find out things you don’t know. You can always draw on other people’s strength because leadership is’t about having all the answers. It’s about being able to bring the right people together to find it!.
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