Niki Griffin

Loughshore Education Centre  

www.eani.org.uk

Subject or Primary School Year: Personal and Social Development, Literacy Support

Place of Birth: Belfast

Where you studied: St Louise's Comprehensive College

What was your first job?  Roland Cartier and Saxone Shoe Shop in Castlecourt 

What did your first job teach you? There is a disparity of wealth amongst society, but good manners, good etiquette and good character is something no money can ever buy. We are all equal people!  

Family/Status: Mother.

Best advice you would give to someone thinking of a teaching career: Be Yourself, be vulnerable, be present and above all be prepared to change, for you will teach, inspire and give knowledge, but you will also learn more about who you are!

Go with it, with all your heart and soul! Be patient, listen more than talk, be consistent each day, be open and honest, say what you mean and do what you say. Don't be dishonest, even on a small matter, for relationships are key, they are the fundamental basis on which everything else is built upon. 

Set your non-negotiables from the start, explain why they matter, using personal experiences. Laugh with the kids, be vulnerable, but always be kind! I have first hand knowledge and experience that to teach is to engage in a journey of discovery both for you and the kids. Get yourself a motto for why you are working with young people and kids. Mine is simple "I wish to find their energy" – for everyone has an energy that has to be discovered, shaped, praised and recognised.

Everyone's lightbulb moments occur at differing times, places and experiences, but when it goes off, the young people come to shine and this is when their energy radiates. 

Niki's background is youth work, starting at 17 years old as a volunteer in her local community, whereby she experienced first-hand the hardships that young people face: poverty, exclusion, social and economic inequalities, breakdown of family life and so on. She says she loved every minute spent with many young people, inspiring them, loving them, having fun, being there and helping to increase their life chances. She knew then that this was the career for her and 32 years later, she is blessed to still work with young people. 

Niki became a mother at 18 (say no more about those barriers and family relations back then), but she studied and gained part-time qualifications throughout those years while working at the youth club and eventually gained a Certificate in Health & Social Work with Open University and 1st Class Hons Degree in youth work at UUJ at the age of 26.