Civic Pride and Community Group of the Year nominee – Laura Bailey and Ulysses Youth
Civic Pride and Community Group of the Year nominee – Laura Bailey and Ulysses Youth
Laura Bailey has been nominated for a Civic Pride Award for her work in empowering young people in some of the most deprived areas of Stoke-on-Trent.
The organisation she founded, Ulysses Youth, has also been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
Laura, 39, from Hanley, started Ulysses Youth in 2023 on the back of her MSc in Entrepreneurship at Staffordshire University.
The organisation, based in Bentilee, is designed to raise aspirations amongst young people in the city, guiding them through ambitious and adventurous programs to help them uncover their potential and realise their ambitions. This includes mentoring, consultancy, residentials and collaboration with other charities and organisations.
Laura has more than 15 years of experience in youth work. Her adolescent life came with obstacles and she knew her shared experience would benefit others.
Her career began as a volunteer at a Surestart Children’s Centre where she organised activities for parents and children. She later joined Stoke-on-Trent City Council where she played a role in re-engaging young people with complex needs, helping them find a path back into education through holistic family support and early help action plans.
Laura went on to study at Staffordshire University, where she gained a first-class criminology degree before enrolling onto the MSc Entrepreneurship course. It was when she joined this course when her dreams of a solo venture became a reality.
“I couldn’t have started up Ulysses Youth if it wasn’t for the MSc. It was here I learned the fundamentals of what it took to start up a business, but it was also here where I grew my network. It wasn’t just the studies, it was the people, the network, the tribe,” she said.
“I had years of experience under my belt, but I felt like there were gaps that I could bridge and by setting up Ulysses Youth, I was able to do just that.”
In July the organisation received a growth grant from The Peter Coates Foundation, acknowledging the vital work it is doing for young people in the city.
“This just gives the kids that I work with more opportunities to broaden their horizons and to experience something worthwhile.
“We focus too much on the negatives sometimes. What I’m trying to do at Ulysses is to flip the script, so everything we do as an organisation is positive.”
Laura and Ulysses Youth were nominated for the Your Heroes Awards b y one of Laura’s fellow MSc students.
Laura added: “It’s really something I didn’t expect, it’s really nice to be nominated.
“I love working in the sector and the future really is exciting. I’m proud to be from Stoke and I love that I’m playing a small part to make it a place of opportunity for our young people.”