October 2011
Young person shares experience of Team programme
Ashleigh Chulk got a job with Starbucks after
attending The Prince's Trust Team programme; she shares here
her experiences and thoughts for the future.
"I got in touch with The Trust because I
wasn’t doing anything with my life. I was signed on to job seekers
allowance and sitting at home every day just waiting to go and sign
on again. I decided I wanted to get out and meet new people, I
always loved college and being around new people. The residential
part of the Team programme especially appealed to me. I knew a
little about the programme as my brother has done it a few years
ago. 
The Prince’s Trust set up an interview.
I’ll always remember my first day on the programme… I knew straight
away the other people and I were going to click and make a
great team. As we got further into the programme I found myself to
be right, we had our ups and downs but we worked well together.
My biggest achievement was becoming a team
leader for a day which I never thought I would do. It was great
knowing that everyone was looking up to me. I’ll never forget my
Team Leader Len, he helped us through a lot and I don’t think I
would be where I am today if it wasn’t for him.
Following Team I saw the job as a Barista
advertised for Starbucks. I wanted to apply as I wanted a job that
would help me continue to develop the skills I gained on Team.
Starbucks looked like a really fun place to work and I place where
I could interact with a range of different customers on a daily
basis.
I have been working in the Bristol Bridge
store since the end of February 2011, and I love working with the
other partners there. It is a perfect place to build my skills and
confidence. My favourite bit of my job is meeting new people,
interacting with customers and learning lots of new things about
coffee.
I think Starbucks is the perfect place for
young people like me to work. It is such a sociable and fun
environment, I enjoy going to work each day to help the
customers.
My ambition is to use my skills and
experience gained at Starbucks to become a Prince’s Trust Team
leader one day, helping other young people just like me to get
their lives back on track."
Ashleigh Chulk