Hello, my name is Robert and I began my journey at Hestia in 2020 as a volunteer, before becoming an Outreach Advocate within the Modern Slavery Response Team in June 2021. Our team’s focus is on the recovery journey of potential victims from different backgrounds, and our aim is to empower them through advocacy and support to access their entitlements.
My career path in the social and justice field began in 2019. After 9 years of travelling and working as a chef in different countries, life experience led me to change my career path by enrolling in a Youth Justice course, from which I recently graduated. My previous working experiences focused on children and young people in local authority protection and within the youth criminal justice system.
I remember that my first professional aim was to empower young people through the implementation of life coaching skills, motivation and care values, driven by the fact that often young people get in trouble due to childhood experiences of negligence and abuse. However, London woke me up to a deep social issue that vulnerable people are facing more often, namely their exploitation through modern slavery and human trafficking.
I researched NGO organisations in London, came across Hestia, and decided that this could be the right place to increase awareness and professional skills, whilst also getting a first-hand look at the impact of one of the biggest humanitarian crises.
Hestia gives its staff the opportunity to work on new ideas and projects; I am additionally championing for the LGBTQ+ Network, and projects as well as training are constantly ongoing. Hestia is always looking for motivated people who want to make a positive change in society and who share ideals required to empower the most disadvantaged.
