Youth coaching is a branch of life coaching. It is designed to encourage personal development in young people while providing an outlet for their stresses and anxieties. This helps young people develop life skills and learn how to manage some of the stresses that come along the way. As a coach it is important to prioritise learning within your plans for development and career progression. In my view, learning is about more than just getting your qualifications; it is about embracing the concept of learning across all aspects of coaching.

Having come in contact with many youths who have difficulties in

• Managing stress
• Sex and sex education
• Peer pressure
• Academics issues
• Emotional trauma
• Relationship issues
• Fear of what the future holds
• Issues from parenting and the environment.

It is very important, as a counselor to assist individual youth on how best they could achieve their goals in life. This is paramount to understand the need for self discovery and create a niche for self growth and success in life.

Youth coaches do not aim to stand in as parents, teachers or friends. They are there to offer impartial, trustworthy support without any judgment. A youth coach can give a young person the chance to vent freely and confidentially about anything they want. This may include school and family life, friends or anything else that happens to be on their mind.