Courteney's Story

Kids Kabin Trustee Courteney Cartwright, who has been involved with the charity for more than 14 years

At 22-years-old, Courteney Cartwright is the newest and youngest member of Kids Kabin’s Board of Trustees, bringing to this vital voluntary position the unique insight she has gained from her vast experience with the organisation throughout all stages of her life.

You see, from joining Kids Kabin as a member when she was just eight years old, Courteney went on to become a young volunteer at the age of 15 before joining the staff team as a Youthwork Apprentice in 2022.

Having taken a break from the organisation to create a distinction from being in post as an apprentice to returning as a young trustee, Courteney credits Kids Kabin with giving her the confidence, encouragement and opportunities for development that have become the cornerstone of both her positive mindset, and her burgeoning career, which she hopes will eventually combine a passion for all things health and safety, with work with and for young people. Recently enrolled onto a course in Environmental Management with the National Examination Board in Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH), she explains:

“I was almost nine when I was walking home from school and I was asking my friend who I used to hang about with all the time what she was doing, and she mentioned that she was going to Kids Kabin. It happened a couple of times, and I was thinking ‘what is Kids Kabin?’

“It turns out my brothers had been involved in the past, and my Mam already knew about it, but it was through my friend that I signed up.”

Initially too scared to attend on her own, Courteney soon felt at home at Kids Kabin, and over four years it became a big part of her life, helping her build the confidence to try new things.

She said: “I was a very awkward kid; I didn’t really enjoy social interactions or anything like that at the time, but eventually I made friends and started going by myself. You could attend two sessions a week, and I used to try and go all the time. Eventually though, when I went to high school it was quite a distance away and I couldn’t always make it, so I left. It became something I missed as it was an important time in my childhood. I loved the activities, particularly cooking and pottery, and woodwork scared me a bit back then, but I still did it!”

Paying it forward

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By being involved in Kids Kabin, Courteney says she has built more confidence than she ever thought possible, and is now keen to give that gift to more young people.

She said: “When I was a young person, I didn't realise the extent of my capabilities. The way I viewed life was that you got a job where you'd do the work, then go home, and the two wouldn’t overlap at all. I didn’t realise people could go on to have a fulfilling career, one that provides them with a sense of purpose.”

It was a Kids Kabin camping trip in her early years with the charity that began to create a shift in the way Courteney viewed both herself, and the world of work. 

“Disability awareness is something that has become very important to me, having had a disability for the best part of my life and I’d been invited on a trip – I think it was one of the trips up near the Scottish border, and I really wanted to go but was due an operation that clashed. It was right in the middle of the trip. The team could have easily said, ‘actually you can’t come because of that’, but Will came up with an agreement with my Mam and Dad that meant I could still go.

“Kids Kabin had gone above and beyond in accommodating me and to be honest, Kids Kabin always went above and beyond. Kids Kabin was very inclusive of my disability, and this was a valuable part in my self-realisation that I was just as important as any of my peers, so when I left Kids Kabin, it broke a bit of my heart. This experience became particularly important when I was leading or supporting sessions later as a young volunteer. I strived to ensure everyone was included, regardless of disabilities or limiting factors, because I could relate to these young people the most.”

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Taking on more

It was during her GCSE years, with fond memories of being a Kids Kabin member that Courteney got back in touch with the charity to ask about becoming a young volunteer.

She said: “I remember thinking at the time that I could be doing more; I wanted to do more than just school and Kids Kabin came to mind, because I hadn't wanted to leave in the first place, let’s be real!”

Although coming back as a young volunteer was quite a transition, Courteney took this in her stride. She explained: “I think I was nervous about being in a supportive role for the young people. I knew everyone on the staff team, so it felt familiar, but I remember thinking ‘how am I going to develop myself?’

“At the age of 15, I was nervous to come back and recall thinking that perhaps the young people wouldn’t accept me, or how easy it would have been to make mistakes. In practice though, I got on very well with the young people and it became easy to support sessions once I had gotten into it! 

“Kids Kabin helped me a lot as a young person to build my confidence and actually, I thought, mistakes can be rectified, so once I got out of that initial mindspace I loved it, and realised that what I was doing was just a good thing for the community.

“Kids Kabin has given me a sense of purpose through seeing the young people I support grow and develop into incredible people! Each young person I have worked with has many great attributes, including passion, determination and commitment. I've worked with young people who at times haven't been very confident in themselves, even anxious to try something new, so to see them becoming confident young people who have hopes and dreams, much like I did, is exactly why I wanted to be involved with Kids Kabin in the first place.”

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Taking a break

Sadly, life’s stresses meant that Courteney’s time as a young volunteer was paused, but she couldn’t stay away for too long. She went on:

“I was quite an anxious person and ended up having to leave Kids Kabin again due to the stress of A Levels. After that I went through a really bad time with my mental health and it took a lot to get out of that.

“At that time I didn’t see my progression. I returned in 2021 at the age of 19, but my involvement was inconsistent due to the place I was in with my mental health. Kids Kabin was amazing at supporting me, and I knew I had a good system around me. Whenever I was having hard times, they were understanding.” 

Only when Courteney gained a full-time position as a Mental Health Support Worker did she leave her role as a young volunteer for good, able once again to recognise her many skills and abilities. She said:

“The full staff team, especially Will, had helped me a lot with development opportunities in the past, such as planning. They were very encouraging, not only with developing my skills with the young people, but also finding opportunities to grow my personal skills, all of which I was able to put in place when I was a Mental Health Support Worker.” 

Opportunity knocks

Now working full time and seeking a new opportunity, Courteney hadn’t had contact with Kids Kabin for a while when her request for a reference led to a chance opportunity to return to the fold.

She said: “Will has always been a brilliant reference, so I put him down when I was applying for jobs, and he rang me, mentioning the apprenticeship role was coming up and asking me to consider applying. I hadn’t seen the job ad before he mentioned it, but I went away and had a look at it, and ended up applying because it seemed like a great opportunity to work with young people and continue in an environment that I already loved! 

“I had never felt like I had done well in interviews and being interviewed by two people at once – both Will and Jodie from another charity, The Bostey – was not easy, although both of them were very patient! I remember thinking I hadn’t done very well, but the next day I got a phone call offering me the position.

“It was incredible – just incredible. I was working my notice period from my last role and for a while remember being in disbelief that I had gotten the apprenticeship. I remember thinking as a young person how cool it would be to work at Kids Kabin and do all of these activities all day and lead these sessions. And it met up to that standard – it was amazing! I loved the apprenticeship.”

Courteney started her apprenticeship, which included a placement at fellow charity Foundation Futures at Pottery Bank, in June 2022, and combining a four-day work week with study, last year gained a Level 3 NVQ in Youthwork, as well as an additional qualification – a General Certificate from NEBOSH, an organisation overseeing a field of work for which Courteney has found a particular talent, although the role at Kids Kabin was varied.

She said: “I started leading after-school sessions pretty much straight away. I became the lead of the Monday Walker group – amazing kids. I was doing Walker on a Monday, Daisy Hill at the beginning on a Tuesday, followed by Cowgate; Wednesday was Pottery Bank and on Thursdays I was back at Walker, and that was my week.

“I planned Walker Outdoor Week (WOW) for two summers and it was good fun. I love all of the planning stuff. It’s something I didn't realise as a young person actually how much went into the background. Even as a young volunteer I didn’t realise how much had gone into it, but that’s one thing I really appreciate from the apprenticeship – time planning, health and safety, and all of the finances involved – all of that.

“It’s because of the apprentice I enrolled in the general NEBOSH qualification, which was funded by Newcastle City Council, as there was a time when I had made a person-specific risk assessment for a camping trip for Kids Kabin, and I was in my element. I know health and safety doesn't sound that interesting, but I found a little passion and Kids Kabin, even after the apprenticeship, helped me pursue that by supporting my NEBOSH application.”

Next steps

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The apprenticeship role came to a natural end in September last year, and Courteney, who enjoyed it so much, was devastated, but the idea of joining the board of trustees at Kids Kabin had already been suggested. Courteney however made the decision to take some time to work on herself before looking into the position. In the meantime, she had become a Personal Assistant to a family member through Disability North, a role using all of her new-found health and safety expertise.

She said: “I was kind of in denial for quite a while that the apprenticeship was going to end. But I knew I needed to take some time before jumping into any decisions when it did. The qualification element of it had identified some issues with how I work, so I took the time to develop those systems and make myself a bit more organised and confident in my own abilities.”

After a five month hiatus, Courteney began the process to become a young trustee at Kids Kabin, a role she knows will be very different to any she’s had at the charity before, but she also knows it’s working directly with young people that is important to her, so she hopes to continue as a volunteer during after-school sessions and camping trips where possible around her studies.

She said: “I’ve got such a positive mindset and was so ready to come back, but to step back from being a staff member involved in the tasks before a session takes place. I’m so excited about going back to working with the young people, as well as separately being a trustee, which is not something I imagined possible.

“I always thought I would have loved to have been involved in Kids Kabin in a strategic, organisational way, but never knew how to fulfil that, other than by being a staff member. Becoming a trustee has given me another incredible sense of responsibility, and I have already thought of ways to contribute, so I'm looking forward to seeing what opportunities and experiences this in itself will bring.

“That sort of formality has always been a bit scary for me but as I am trying to develop my professional career going forward, I wanted to push myself further and develop my skills, as well as contribute to the board from a young person’s perspective. Pushing myself into leadership roles has helped me overcome a lot of my own barriers, and to step out of being in the background, as well as developing different communications skills with the kids.

“It’s something I realised during the apprenticeship. Every person is unique and there’s not one set way of communicating. I’m really glad I had that opportunity to find those different ways to identify what a young person’s needs are, and what I can support them with. It’s kind of like an intuition now where I can tell when someone is struggling and I feel I've developed the way I present myself, and made myself more approachable.

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The heart of the matter

“Kids Kabin has always had young people at the heart and focus of what it does, but having the opportunity to be one of those staff members that I had admired and appreciated as a young person myself, really emphasised this. It encouraged me to go above and beyond for the young people I worked with in building those connections and trust, so they felt like they were capable of anything they set their mind to.

“Even if it was just two or three young people I made a difference to, it’s something I’m really thankful for. Now, young people will come up to me in the street and they’ll talk to me and update me on how they’re doing. A lot of young people in the community see me as someone they can go to and they can be open and honest with, and it’s something I really appreciate.

“The Kids Kabin apprenticeship made me realise the job I do can have a positive impact on people, especially young people. It helped me believe I was capable of furthering my own development.

“I also loved having the opportunity, as both a young person and as an apprentice, to encourage any young person who expressed interest in volunteering to go for it, or at least to gather more information, as I knew from my own experience that volunteering can have such an important impact, both on the young people attending the sessions, and on the confidence and self-esteem of the volunteer.

“Overall, in each of the roles I’ve held at Kids Kabin, it has always helped me in some way; from being a young person and coming out of my shell with skills development and also social aspects, to being a volunteer and developing as a person and a leader, and being able to have that communication with different types of people – staff, young people, and other professional organisations.

“I’ve made connections to people all over the world such as the international volunteers from attending as a young member, then as a young volunteer, and now as an adult. Every individual I’ve come across has had an equally important role in encouraging my personal growth. I have lifelong connections with the Kids Kabin team, and they have each supported me in their own individual way, and opened doorways for various opportunities in my future.

“Since becoming a trustee in June 2024 I’ve had the experience of attending board meetings and taking on some responsibility. Already I can see the important role the board plays in Kids Kabin, and I’m looking forward to this new chapter.

“I hope that other people can see the impact Kids Kabin has had on me, and can become inspired to find something they are passionate about too!”

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Our thanks to Courteney for the skills and enthusiasm she has brought to every role she's held at Kids Kabin, and for taking the time to tell us her story.

Find out how you can get involved in Kids Kabin by visiting the ‘Join Us’ menu on our website.