Hamza graduated from our Teens and Toddlers programme a few years ago. He caught up with his old Power2 Programme Lead about the impact the experience had on his mental wellbeing and how it helped him secure his future career.

The Teens and Toddlers programme helps young people improve their wellbeing and school engagement to succeed at school and in life, through the experience of mentoring nursery children.

Working in the nursery made Hamza realise he really enjoyed working with children. His Power2 Programme Lead remembers what a natural Hamza was, and the way the toddlers would gather around him.

“I remember Hamza in the nursery literally surrounded by children, reading them a story. It was a really special moment.”

After finishing Teens and Toddlers, where he achieved an NCFE Level 1 Award in Interpersonal Skills, Hamza applied to a job at a school. The school were impressed with the experience he’d gained with children on Teens and Toddlers, and with the NCFE qualification he had. Power2 provided his reference and Hamza has been working there ever since.

Hamza says that the skills he learned on Teens and Toddlers help him every day in his new career.

“On Teens and Toddlers I did learn a lot of stuff. Behaviour management, that’s one thing you need. Having patience, you need a lot of patience with kids. Gaining that experience and learning how kids are, what to do when they are upset and how to approach them. I feel like I achieved that on the Teens and Toddlers programme.”

Looking to the future, Hamza hopes to become a teacher.

“I’m going to work my way up in a school. Maybe one day I’ll be the head of a department or a deputy head. I’m ambitious for the future.”

Power2 is taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2022. For this week only your donation to Power2 will be doubled. One donation. Twice the impact. We are asking you to please, consider a donation to our match funding campaign to help us reach our target. Your support means we can reach 100 more young people, just like Hamza. We can’t do what we do without you.

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