My name is Alex Brookes. I joined Ethos in January of 2022 and have been working as a Young Leader for about a month now. I have always lacked direction in life, for as long as I can remember. I’ve never really known what I wanted to do professionally, despite a strong ambition to do “something” and caring deeply about a specific handful of subjects & ideologies, such as technology, problem-solving, graphics design and even more on the humanity side of things. I knew I wanted an environment where I could share and expand upon ideas with other people. Something where I could incorporate my interests and strengths into my work. After applying to (and being rejected for) countless job applications since dropping out of college in 2016, I was about ready to give up, barely scraping by on Universal Credit and through my freelance amateur graphics design; ready to accept the fact that I just wasn’t good enough for these organisations.
I applied for Ethos in December 2021, and what immediately stood out to me was how personal the application form was. Suddenly it wasn’t important what prior experience I had, what fancy pieces of paper I had earned through an expensive degree – what mattered was me, what I could do, what I was interested in, and what I had done with my time up until this point. I decided it was worth a shot. I decided to do some digging into the organisation, and the more I read, the more I felt that this was the job for me; the focus on openness, wanting to make the world a better place, the core values of the company. After just a few days, I received an email back to arrange an interview. And again, the personal touch that runs deep throughout Ethos was apparent, it was as if they were trying to get to know me on a personal level.
Come late January 2022, I nervously opened my emails. The news I had been hoping for throughout all of the Christmas season had come true, I got the job! I am now officially a Young Leader. After being handed the keys to this new world of Ethos, what struck me was just how open everything is & the friendly welcoming attitude of my newfound co-workers. I had read the stories of other partners and Young Leaders on the website and was already impressed, but the level of freedom is truly refreshing. In just my first month I have already taken on projects in various areas of the organisation, including social media, IT, recruitment and digital advertising / marketing. I have had the chance to work with some truly amazing people who share my vision and who bring their own brilliant ideas to the table. I’m very optimistic about my future, and I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity I have been given to work with such a marvellous bunch and look forward to building more bridges going forward.
Apply to be a Young Leader
Does Alex’s story resonate with you? Are you a young person locked out of meaningful work experience opportunities? Apply to be a young leader. We are able to provide minimum wage for successful applicants who have been referred by their job coach by 28 February 2022.
Apply now: https://www.ethosvo.org/young-leaders/