Hello, I'm Alice. And in September 2021 (postponed from 2020) I'm running the Great North Run for Gateshead Youth Council. A charity who gave an anxious teenager somewhere to belong and feel understood, when I didn't quite fit in anywhere else. I'm not just running as a thanks to what I achieved because of and sometimes entirely down to Gateshead Youth Council, but also for all of the young people in Gateshead, the North East and beyond, to demonstrate that youth services really really do matter and change lives. 

I first met the youth workers at GYC when I was fourteen, I was shy, misunderstood and had little belief in what I was capable of achieving. I'd spent years being told I wouldn't be able to do things, I'm dyspraxic and my statement for special educational needs made people assume my capabilities. I was elected onto Gateshead Youth Assembly, and suddenly found myself in a world where young people were listened to. Whatever our story. We were given the time. I felt valued, and went from barely saying a word, to delivering conferences and standing up in front of audiences to discuss important issues, to eventually travelling to Slovakia to explore those issues. 

Since those early days, youth services across the country and particularly the North East have been cut until there's barely anything left. The youth council once a buzzing office of activity, now reduced to a determined team of two who keep the life saving organisation going. A charity so vital to the development of young people. 

There's another reason I'm doing this too, I trained as a youth worker, because of the support I received from GYC growing up, and now it's time to give something back, by running a half bloody marathon. I became a youth worker to support young people, just like GYC supported me. I want to demonstrate how important my profession is to young people. I don't find running easy, in fact the first time I ever went out for a run as an adult, I called in sick at uni because I felt so ill. "Never doing that again!" I screamed. But I was wrong. I did do it again and now running is one of my favourite things to do. After years of hiding at the back of sports halls trying not to be noticed, failing to ever be good at netball and never competing in the school sports days, I realised that I can actually be runner. So I tentatively joined a running club and I have never looked back. It really has done wonders for my mental health. I want to show that I can be good at and even enjoy something that was once impossible and on the verge of tears terrifying. 

Any donation you can spare (especially under pandemic circumstances) would mean a huge amount to me and Gateshead Youth Council. You don't have to give your full name, and are able to donate anonymously, but if I know you, please tell me so I can thank you properly! Any donation will keep me motivated as we emerge from this pandemic. Running has been able to keep me focussed at a time when my mental health could really plummet. And if moneys tight, and i know it is for so many of you at the moment, just sharing this and my story on social media would also be really lovely. 

And finally if you'd like to read more about my story and why I'm running the GNR for Gateshead Youth Council, you can check out my blog post here: https://alittlemoreunderstanding.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/why-im-running-the-great-north-run-for-gateshead-youth-council-and-why-it-is-quite-possibly-the-hardest-challenge-ive-ever-set-myself/ 

I'm really lucky to have so many brilliant people in my life who have supported me to get this far. Thank you so so much! 

2020/21 edit: The GNR was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and I don't know if it will even go ahead in 2021 yet, but I'm going to train for it anyway. That much uncertainty is enough to put any anxious person off. During the last year, my anxiety increased more than it ever has, as working from home became my norm, and I didn't need to leave the house. So I just didn't go out for a while, and became consumed in my own thoughts. I've found going out a real challenge, as my brain continued to scream louder than ever. Running has become non-existent for a while. In November 2020, I was also diagnosed with ADHD a month before my 32nd birthday, and coping with the realisation that I've been dealing with undiagnosed & untreated ADHD, whilst still in the middle of a pandemic, has been tough. I learned that running is great for ADHD as it releases dopamine, a chemical that my brain doesn't produce enough of. So in training for this half marathon, I will be supporting my brain to function better, my brain that now has four letters to describe why it functions the way it does. Running in a crowd of thousands of people will be a big thing it itself as I'm not yet comfortable going inside a shop,  but I do like a challenge and I never ever do things by halves. This run (whenever it takes place) means more to me than ever before.