Annette, aged seventeen with a voice, is confident and has the biggest drive to be effective in making a difference. I still hold a profound respect for working under the supervision and mentoring of people who supported me at this time. I jumped at every opportunity to fill in for the senior members of our team and recall a day standing in for a colleague while attending a housing clinic. I walked into a corridor with tenants waiting to talk to a representative. They looked at me; some smiled while some just stared. As I walked to unlock the office door, a voice behind me called out, “you’re not old enough to be the council". I quickly informed them that I was their housing council representative, and whether they came to see me was their choice. 

 

I remember feeling confident, tall, and proud of using my voice. I then found myself out of my depth when confronted in my first consultation with a frail old lady (who could barely see over the desk). She informed me that since the new tenants had moved above her, she had heard far more than she should have (I can’t tell her exact words here). The look on her face as she demanded what was I personally going to do about it. I was so pleased to see the return of a senior colleague and never again thought his housing clinics were an afternoon jolly. I realised life levellers and how I would deal with them started that day!