Geraint, YMCA Swansea – WINNER
Geraint shows a tireless commitment to young people at YMCA Swansea as its Youth Coordinator. When he was 16 years old he set up a youth club for isolated communities, which nine years later, is still running.
Last year, the local young carer’s service for Swansea was put under threat. Geraint was faced with the possibility of sudden redundancy, but prioritised the continuation of the service, successfully securing a new home for it with YMCA, achieving this at four days’ notice, without any break in service, transfer of local authority contracts and re-designing the service.
In 12 months, the impact that Geraint has had on YMCA Swansea has been phenomenal. He is a constant inspiration and motivator for young people he works with. His honesty has allowed the young people he supports to open up about their struggles and show vulnerability they hide from most others.
Geraint doesn’t hesitate to go the extra mile for those around him. Regardless of the myriad of complex issues many young people face, Geraint’s attitude towards each individual he works with is that, with the right support, they can do anything they put their mind to.
Geraint believes in people, even when they don’t believe in themselves.