Yvana, who was born in Angola and grew up in Leeds, is another of our amazing young people who started on the Young Innovators Council (YIC) in 2021 and is now a member of Northern Gas Networks’ Customer Engagement Group (CEG). Aren’t we lucky to have their superb insights?!
“The Head of the sixth form at my college, UTC Leeds, sent an email to my whole cohort advertising the role on the Young Innovators Council and encouraging me to apply. At the time I applied, I had decided that I wanted to pursue a career in the energy industry but I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to be a part of the industry and I thought that being a part of the YIC would be a good opportunity to gain a greater understating of the different roles that exist along with having the ability to influence decisions within Northern Gas Networks (NGN).
When my time on the YIC had come to an end, I decided to join the CEG because I saw how my view and ideas were being heard at the YIC. I saw mine and the other members’ ideas being implemented all throughout my time at the YIC, and wanted to continue to be able to give a youth stakeholder perspective to current challenges facing the industry.
My involvement in the YIC helped me when applying for the CEG not only by giving me invaluable experience of being able to work in a similar setting, but also I was able to gain an understanding of how NGN works. Being a part of the YIC taught me transferable skills and gave me the confidence to be able to talk about my ideas and opinions with people with 10 to even 20+ years of experience in different fields. It has also given me opportunities outside of the YIC with Solutions for the Planet, to be a judge in their Big Ideas Competition!
The YIC is important for me because it inspired me, not only did it help me decide what field I wanted to work in, but also gave me an opportunity to learn from experienced people in a variety of fields within the industry and several stakeholders. My advice to young people is to not be afraid of taking on these opportunities even when it’s related to subjects they are unfamiliar with, as it might lead them into a future career path as well as learning transferable skills.
I am currently Studying for an undergraduate degree in Environmental Geoscience at the University of Plymouth. After finishing my degree, I want to pursue a career in the sustainability field where I can use the knowledge gained from my degree and the YIC and apply them in the CEG.”