Louis' Kickstart Story

The last month and a half working for The Outdoors Project has been, quite literally, a breath of fresh air and I have enjoyed every minute of being outside doing lots of fun activities with all the kids. As I’m sat writing this blog post I can’t help but be reminded of how so much can change over the short period of just a year!

Last March I was finishing the final year of my degree at the University of Sussex and anticipating what the world would have in store for me once I had completed my studies. Well, I think we all know what happened next, and after lockdown one was announced, I returned back home to my parents house in Cardiff while writing my dissertation and Brighton seemed a very, very long way away. Fast forward to autumn time and I was still in Cardiff looking for work and not getting much response, feeling like my chances of returning to Brighton, which had become a second home for me, were dwindling. At the end of 2020 my parents decided they had had enough of the city life and moved permanently to a small village in Devon. Although I felt very happy for them, an already chaotic year just took yet another left turn!

In January, I finally saved enough money to make my big move back to Brighton and I couldn’t have been more delighted! Although I hadn’t secured a permanent job yet, it felt great just seeing Brighton in all its crazy, charismatic glory that I had come to love. From the lanes to the i360, it felt good to be home again. Then it happened. I saw an advert for a job with a company called The Outdoors Project which entailed being outdoors doing activities with kids. I had done something a little similar back in Cardiff during my summers when I was home from uni, so I thought it was worth a shot.

After chatting to Sam, and attending a training day I got the job! I absolutely couldn’t wait to get going, and all the people involved were super welcoming and friendly and it just felt like a great atmosphere. It all came around very quickly and suddenly it was my first day. I had an absolute blast! I immersed myself in the go-go-go atmosphere and from day one, I knew that this job was perfect. After a long winter of lockdowns and restrictions, it was great to be outdoors again, and seeing the kids back outside making friends and playing games; everything was just very natural. Ever since that first day, the fun hasn’t stopped and I’ve had the time of my life. The kids at the clubs are brilliant and never fail to make me laugh, all my colleagues share the same values and have great attitudes towards their job, which honestly doesn’t ever quite feel like work! I never thought that I’d be able to have the privilege of really looking forward to a new week of work at the end of a weekend and I’m excitedly anticipating a summer of nerf, star wars and all manner of exciting themes!