Cromwell’s youngest youth worker has a different, but very effective approach to working with our youth.

Still a teenager herself, Allie was rescued from a tough life at the tender age of six months and given a second chance for a better life. She now gives back through her role as a trained volunteer youth worker for the Cromwell Youth Trust.

Allie’s manager Rhys Smith said they had been searching for some time, to no avail. Trust Chair Tamah Alley discovered Allie was looking for a family to adopt her and give her meaningful work.

“I met with Allie, and that was it – she’s been with us ever since”, Rhys said.

Rhys introduced Allie to youth work from day one.

“She actually slept through her first meeting”, he said.

Since that first day, Allie’s calm, innocent nature and her strong commitment to the young people she works with has seen her shine in the job.

Allie at work in a group setting at The Hangout.

“She’s there every afternoon, meeting the kids at the door, talking to them and just checking out how they’re feeling.”

Rhys said Allie spends each afternoon doing whatever the young people are doing. She goes for walks with them, has cuddles or patiently lies down with them when they are chilling out on the couch.

Allie had also attended school camps and made herself available at the College every day. She joined in games, chased sticks with the kids, or sat still to just listen if someone needed to talk.

“She’s very sensitive; she senses when something’s not right with someone.

“She’s non-judgemental, she doesn’t talk back – kids can drop their guard with her.”

Rhys said the results Allie was achieving were above expectations.

“We can see steady changes in the kids’ behaviour as they become more comfortable with her.”

Some young people were initially intimidated, having had bad experiences previously, but Allie’s personality had won them over.

Allie also works with youth on a one-to-one basis.

Allie had also been teaching the art of caring. She began the process by developing an understanding of all aspects of keeping her healthy, then worked on an understanding of diversity. Her ethos was that all dogs are different, just as all people are different. Just because one dog was unkind did not mean all dogs were.

“The caring strategies Allie has taught, and the confidence to trust again after a bad experience, translates directly to developing positive relationships with other people.”

Allie had been pining at home during lockdown, missing the kids she had become so attached to. She was very quiet and didn’t really answer questions, preferring Rhys to talk about her.

However, when she received news of the move to Alert Level two and Rhys began to talk about the kids, she became very excited.

“We will be up and running from Monday, in line with the schools”, Rhys said.

“But things will be a little different with two sessions per afternoon, which have to be pre-booked, and strict hygiene protocols to keep everyone safe.”

Allie didn’t seem to care that things would be different – she’s just looking forward to hanging out with the kids again.

Photos supplied