Introducing… Alex (Adults Support) & Amber (Youth Projects)
13th September 2023
Alex Pearson is New Routes new Adult Support Coordinator, and Amber Smith has taken over our Youth Projects.
Here they introduce themselves, their backgrounds, interests and what they bring to New Routes.
Alex Pearson – Adult Support Coordinator
I am very happy to be joining the New Routes team as the new Adult Support Coordinator! I have previously worked for the British Red Cross in a similar role which I really enjoyed, so it is great to be supporting asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants in the UK again. I have also been lucky enough to work abroad in Mexico, France and Nigeria.
My personal interests include most sports and especially football, so it’s a pleasure to now also be coordinating the New Routes football sessions. I am an Arsenal fan, but I hope that won’t be held against me! I am also excited to explore more of Norwich and Norfolk, having relocated here recently.
From my first few weeks at New Routes, it is clear there is a strong sense of community, and I am very grateful to have entered a role with such a supportive and positive atmosphere. I look forward to developing within the role and equally contributing my perspective and experience to the New Routes team.
Amber Smith – Youth Projects Coordinator
Over the last 11 years I have worked or volunteered in a variety of roles within the health and social care field, starting my career in the NHS at 18. Since then I have worked with some of the most marginalised communities in society via homelessness services, the prison estate, youth work and mentoring, crisis support work, a mass vaccination centre and so on. Each area of work has equipped me with a unique insight into the lives of those who are so often forgotten about, which has continued to add fuel to the fire in my belly.
It has taken me many years, as well as life and work experience, to really hone in on the areas that mean the most to me. Particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, there were poignant moments where introspection and self-education really solidified what I am truly passionate about. One area is the treatment of those seeking a better life, and how the hostile environment is now embedded into the everyday services that people are desperately in need of.
Living and working in South London as well as hosting a radio show there, has meant I now have a good understanding of marginalisation and how disadvantage impacts the global majority. With this proximity to global majority communities via work, radio and music – I have made it my duty to educate myself about the struggles faced. I moved back to Norwich last year and I’m both excited and honoured to start working with the resilient and inspiring asylum seeking and migrant communities here.
