Meet YMCA Barry Y’s Girls Project Coordinator – Cat McKay

Cat started her journey with YMCA Barry Y’s Girls Project as a volunteer mentor, before training as a Youth Worker and joining the team as a Project Coordinator.

Get to know Cat as she shares her passion and aspirations for the future in continuing to support young girls aged 9-14 to be their best.

What makes the Y’s Girls project unique and instrumental in supporting young girls?

I love the project as it engages the young person across a full year, really allowing you to bond with them and tailor support based off of their own needs and goals.
The mentors being involved as volunteers and the length of the project can help the young people know the mentors are there to help and support them without an agenda, they’re not there to reach targets and are able to work together at the young person’s own pace.

Why have you chosen to get involved in the project?

One of my favourite quotes is “be who you needed when you were younger.”
I struggled with mental health and wellbeing as a young girl and reflecting back I think I would have massively benefitted from a mentor for guidance through life’s challenges.

I want to give back to those young people who are struggling to show life does get better and challenges become easier.

Those challenges help shape you, your thinking, your abilities and can propel you into your own successes. I worked as a mentor on the Y’s Girls project and completed one year of mentoring with my mentee. I thoroughly enjoyed this time, seeing my Y’s Girl’s confidence grow and flourish into a strong and successful young lady. I loved it so much I trained as a youth worker after volunteering and applied for a position on the team, luckily for me, successfully!