The silence following the completion of Team 170 has been deafening. They were my first Prince’s Trust Team and while we did have our low moments during those 12 weeks, they were vastly outweighed by the positive ones.

 

The 12 young people, who completed the course at the end of January, were a lively, savvy and committed bunch who impressed me so much, especially when it came to challenges like their Community Project and Final Team Challenge.  They were never short of ideas, sometimes of the slightly ridiculous or impractical variety, and never short of stories which would leave the rest of the Team in a state of utter disbelief and hysterics.

 

A highlight for me as the Team Leader was the community project. I was so impressed with their Dunkirk spirit, facing a difficult task given the size and state of the garden project they had taken on and difficult conditions as the wet weather turned parts of the garden into swamps. Our improvised duckboards even started disappearing into the mud at points. Despite all this, the Team stuck to the task at hand, completed every aspect of the plan they had intended to and finished the 2 weeks having transformed an inaccessible bramble patch into an attractive and usable space for the residents of the supported housing centre.

 

The Team concluded their journey with a celebration event at the Gloucester Chinese Resource Centre. This was well attended by the Team members’ family, support workers and friends who joined the Team in celebrating their achievements.  For some, including myself, this was an emotional occasion. There was laughter and tears but no one left the room without recognising that a huge amount had been achieved, boundaries had been stretched and that those 12 individuals had become 1 Team.

 

So after a few weeks of marking folders and recruiting, I am ready for my next challenge – Team 173. I feel considerably more prepared for what the next 12 weeks will bring and I am excited about the new young people I have met over the last couple of weeks. I have seen a lot of potential and met young people brimming with ambition, looking for a kick start to their next steps. While Team 170 will be tough to replace and will always hold a special place for me as my first Team, I am feeling really positive about Team 173 and our upcoming ventures.