Merry Christmas!

Hello!

I just wanted to wish all my friends and readers a very merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday whatever you got up to! Have a great new year too!

Lots of love,

Stevo xoxo

Nothing can wipe the smile from my chubby face!

So yesterday, I finally got the call I had been waiting at least 3 weeks for. I've been volunteering at a local church - St Andrews in Paull and the woman who is in charge emailed me about an intern ship she had been forwarded. The position was to improve communications within a church in North Hull - social media and journalism, something I want to get into. And this is the perfect position and it's also stepping stones. Starting at the very bottom and hopefully working my way up!

The closing date wasn't for a little while and there were emails back and forth so when I got an interview, I was relived otherwise it might have been a wasted effort. Anyhow, I had my interview during work experience (that's a whole other blog post in itself). I thought I would be nervous because there were three interviewees, but it didn't phase me which was strange - cool as a bloody cucumber! The interview went really well, I didn't want to be cocky at the time but I felt I aced it. There were so many smiles and nods and each other.

I had to go back to work experience after my interview, it didn't matter though because it went so positively. Literally two hours after my interview (I was the first interview, and they had at least two more) they called to say that they wanted to offer me the intern ship and it was a unanimous vote to me.... SMIRK.

My role as the intern is to make more people aware of the charity SEARCH, using social media, creating a blog called 'a day in the life of a church intern' - not set up yet. Creating press releases, interviewing at events and encouraging volunteering in the community. It may not be for everyone, but the role will be so varied that it won't get tedious, no day will be the same.

I couldn't share the news with everyone because the intern ship is funding by The Rank Foundation and they were yet to make their decision on whether they wanted to give the money to Search - don't bother googling them, they don't have a website, yet.

I met with the two women from The Rank Foundation - it went really well, they were 'raving' about me after the interview, (I don't think my ego is going to fit through the door soon). Anyhow, they phoned to say the board were still making their decision but should they say no, Helen had already been enquiring about somewhere else I could go but they wanted to fund me, because they think I am so talented. Smirk.

ANYHOW, after a week or so of waiting, I finally got the call yesterday to say that they had approved the funding, but The Rank Foundation had asked that my role be expanded to other places that will need me for journalistic issues because I had impressed them so much.

Now, in my interview I said that I felt that this position was perfect for me because it's exactly what I had been looking for and it fell into my lap because of something else. Without using my initiative to volunteer I would never have been sent the information on that intern ship.

I CANNOT BLOODY WAIT.

I won't stop blogging, I am still very passionate about youth unemployment because it's such a big issue in Hull and all over the country at the moment, it needs to be addressed often by people who are living with it.

I'll be posting some more over Christmas :]

Leave comments, or you can tweet me at @DebStevo90

Stevo xxxx

Merci beaucoup à mes disciples belles!

I just want to express my gratitude to people who have taken the time to support me and the work I am doing. This week I was featured on a local blog which was great publicity for me, it was lovely of Ray from the blog to feature me and my little blog. Give it a read - I didn't expect a full article I though there may just a link and a bit of information but there is so much more, it's fabulous. Visit the blog here;  http://www.hu12online.net/debate/hedon-neet-blogger-tells-us-how-it-is-for-the-young-unemployed/ If you're local as in Hedon/Holderness way, then the website is quite interesting in that you'll find out about local events and if you want something advertising, if you ask Ray, I am sure he'll give the event a mention.

Furthermore, to everyone who retweets my links, who tells me they like what I am writing and who take the time to find me on Twitter to tell me that they really like what I do. THANK YOU. I want to upload screen caps of the nice comments, but I don't think Twitter will allow you to go back more than 10 days or so.

Oh well, you know who you are - thank you! :)

This month has been so exciting, but I just can't tell you yet! When I can, I will tell you everything, but for now, eeeeee.

So, finally. Again.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And if you don't like it, tell me if you really want to, @DebStevo90 or comment on here.

Stevo!xo

"2000 job vacancies going in Hull, but no takers, say the job centre" - Utter bollocks!

“Jobseekers and employers are being urged to be less choosy as new figures show more than 2000 vacancies are going unfilled in Hull”

This article in the Hull Daily Mail has annoyed me beyond belief, ‘don’t be fussy’ they say. Have they actually looked what is being offered on the job centre website? It’s full of commission based work, without a basic salary!!

So I ask you, would you take a job and come off benefits to take a job with no basic wage and have your entire earnings based on how many people you manage to sign up to a charity based scheme? If you’ve had mortgage protection, you’re no longer entitled to it because you’ve got a job. I know what I would rather do, and I know that it will annoy people but I would rather stay on benefits that bit longer to secure a job where I was definitely going to be paid at the end of the month.

I don’t know if you’ve been on the job centre website recently but you’ll be amazed with what you find if you do take a visit. It’s not filled with 2000 jobs that people are fussy over – it’s filled with commission based shit that needs filtering out! A good example of this is Tempest Elite Marketing who are now trading under the name ‘S.P.Y’ – watch out for them, they’ve got a new name because they’ve got a horrific reputation. These companies who only offer work based ENTIRELY on your ‘target earnings’ need filtering out and shutting down! They’re wrong and exploiting people, mainly young people who are desperate for something, anything.

I was followed by a new Twitter profile for Hull jobs the other week and I went through the jobs which were posted and many of them were with Tempest Elite Marketing or similar companies, why are they still being advertised as a reputable company. They need stamping out! I imagine if the job centre spent time filtering out the jobs which were exploiting people, they would have a cleaner system with which you could do more precise and accurate searches.

If people are fussy over what they want to do then fair game - that's their choice, they'll stay on benefits for a long time. But, I don't think it is fair to assume that all the jobs being advertised are morally right, because they're not. Furthermore, you can't just blame job seekers, because lets face it, no where is taking on anyone as a trainee. They want someone who has the specific experience for that position - so what if it turns out that NO ONE has that specific experience and skills. The position will just sit there. No offer of any training to get the position filled quickly. What can you do?!

Also, I have to ask, what is wrong with having some aspirations, I feel like I'm not allowed any because it's more important that I'm working. Of course I want to be working but I don't see why I can't try and steer what I am doing to what I really want to be doing. Someone should have some aspirations - the situation which we currently face is like a wagging finger of Nicole Scherzinger saying "no baby, no", don't bother dreaming of leaving the city and making it somewhere else. 

So, I am irritated by this now. I'm not always like this, promise! 

Leave a comment if you want! orrr, you can find me on the Twitters! @DebStevo90 :)

ENJOY! :D!

One in a million.: The National Careers Service.

One in a million.: The National Careers Service.: So, on Monday I had a busy day of appointments. It's amazing how busy an unemployed person can be sometimes. Mental. However, Monday morning...

The National Careers Service.

So, on Monday I had a busy day of appointments. It's amazing how busy an unemployed person can be sometimes. Mental. However, Monday morning I had an appointment at the Central Library in Hull with the National Careers Service. As always I went in with an open mind despite Tomas telling me it was pointless. I literally wasn't prepared for the ROFLcopter that happened.

The person I was suppose to see was unwell, (OH!) but it had been arranged for me to speak with the manager instead, who informed me he never uses the system so I spent half my time waiting for him to find things whilst he clicked about. Fun! not. Anyways, this guy I saw was nice enough - he gave me a few ideas about how to gain some more experience through my volunteering. He gave me a speech about how I have obviously lost my 'can do' attitude. Of course I have, I'm bored shit less and I don't even have rejection letters to tear up and cry over, I don't seem to get ANYTHING. So sorry if I don't have that plucky sparkle shit, I lost that about a month ago.

Anyways, so we're sat looking on the do-it.org website looking at volunteering positions which could benefit me in the work I want to go in to. There isn't a damn thing for what I actually want to go in to. At the minute, I just want something to get me working and bringing some money in. So, just admin stuff etc. I had down that I was looking at teaching assistant as a possible job to go in to. I have now realized that I don't really want to. So, we're on the website looking at the different opportunities, he comes across with one for Barnados.

"It's a youth adviser - helping young people into work"

WHAT. You know when you're trying NOT to laugh because of how ridiculous someone sounds. Everyone who I've mentioned this too, has looked confused for about 12 seconds and then bursts into fits of laughter. I can just see it now, me trying to advise the young on getting into work when I can't find a job myself.

YEAH, THAT SOUNDS RIGHT FUN! I can't even believe how ridiculous this is. I wouldn't mind giving up some of my time when I am working, but right now, I am in exactly the same position as those people. It's not like I would be helping them.

"you literally could not make this shit up!"

I hope you LOL as much as I did.
Enjoy, as always, leave comments, they're always appreciated.

or Tweet me on the Twitters, @DebStevo90 :)

One in a million.: Stretching the staff to unmanageable limits.

One in a million.: Stretching the staff to unmanageable limits.: So guess what? I am now required to visit my favourite place every week now. I love the job centre, I really do. Well no, I don't. Ha. I act...