OPEN Project Staff Team

I am the OPEN Project Coordinator and founder. I am responsible for the overall management, funding and development of the project, involving staff and young people to lead the direction of the project in all aspects.

Providing support, training and personal development plans for peer educators, peer mentors, Emotional Wellbeing and Resilience workers and the OPEN Peer Researchers.

Believing that by providing the right opportunities, based on the skills, interests and ideas of young people they can take a lead in dealing with the issues that they feel are important, getting things done and having a voice in their community.

I’ve been lucky to be part of OPEN since 2011. In my role, I’m mainly responsible for securing funding for the project and providing support and supervision for OPEN’s volunteers. Being part of the OPEN team has given me the opportunity to play an important role in developing and establishing services for young people across Shetland, which I’m passionate about. When not on the Isle engaging with young folk, I love to travel and explore new countries and cultures as often as possible – with camera in hand!

As a Development Worker for OPEN I work directly with volunteers and young people to deliver Peer Education workshops and training locally and nationally.

As the Mentoring Coordinator for OPEN I train and support volunteer Peer Mentors to meet with Mentee’s to guide them to make positive life choices and get them onto a good pathway.

I started volunteering at age 13, I fell in love with the work the OPEN Project did and always knew wanted to be a part of it. After being involved in the making of the Peer Mentoring project I knew this was where I was meant to be. 9 years later and I’ve now done a full circle and I became the OPEN Project’s Youth Worker.

I have volunteered with OPEN since 2016 and started part time as an Emotional Well-being and resilience worker in 2019.

I now work as a Time to Shine (T2S) Leader, I will be exploring how we can turn OPEN into a youth-led independent charity. This will involve carrying out research and setting up a steering group of young people that will lead the way in taking this forward

I am the new Time To Shine (T2S) Leader which is supported and funded by the Rank Foundation, My job role is a Youth Information Worker with the OPEN Project. My goal is to provide young people with the means of accessing information and support which they may not otherwise know they can access. Also to develop a network of support for all young people that may struggle with anything from Mental Health, to helping them get housing and everything in-between. I have volunteered at the OPEN Project since 2018 and am proud to finally have a chance to work alongside my friends and colleagues.

I have been volunteering for the OPEN project for over 7 years and have done over 700 hours volunteering with them so was extremely lucky recently to be given the opportunity to work as a peer researcher with the project and keep volunteering. We have a vision to create a space for young people that is welcoming to all, currently we are working on researching with a wide range of ages to achieve this.

I started working at VAS at the end of 2021 with OPEN education. I have volunteered with OPEN through VAS for about 7 years volunteering and I couldn’t be more delighted to now be a member of the team. I was hired to be a peer researcher alongside another college to research if young people need a space of their own and also to clarify what sort of space young people would want to use.